Rhapsody
by Angelprinczess
Summary: AU Squinoa Rinoa heartilly A singer at the Star Club who is depressed over her recent breakup with Seifer Almasy. Squall Leonhart A lone wolf, pushing others away. When their paths cross, will Rinoa's songs be able to find a happy tune?
1. Just a Girl

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII and I also don't own the song "Just a Girl" by No Doubt.

Author's Note: Hey everybody! I'm back with my new fic "Rhapsody." This is an AU Squinoa and as usual, thoughts will be in italics. This fic has to do a lot with music, since Rinoa is a singer, but you'll see how her music plays a big role as the story goes on. I just started High School and I'm really liking it so far. Hopefully, I won't get a lot of homework, so that I'll have more time to write this. For now, expect updates on the weekends (including Friday). Alright, on with the story. 

Rhapsody

Chapter 1- Just a Girl

"Rinoa, are you okay?" Quistis asked her friend.

Rinoa turned around from her place at the window. "I'm fine, Quistis."

"You're thinking about Seifer again, aren't you? Rinoa, you need to forget about him. He _wanted _to cause you this pain." Quistis sighed. "I told you he was trouble from the beginning."

"Quistis, please don't lecture me. I wasn't even thinking about Seifer. I'm over him." Rinoa forced a smile.

"Rinoa, I know you better than that. You're _still _blaming yourself for the breakup. _He_ cheated on _you_, Rinoa! Don't do this to yourself."

Rinoa sighed. "You're right, Quistis. It's just so hard, you know? We used to have some really good times, but that seems like it was decades ago... He just changed so much! He became so controlling and he wouldn't let me out of his sight. I knew that we were growing apart, but when I caught him with that other girl..."

"You're too good for him, anyway. You're out of the relationship now and it's time to move on." Quistis patted her on the shoulder. 

"Yeah...thank you, Quistis. I don't know what I'd do without you." She smiled then, a real genuine smile. "I wrote a new song. I'm thinking of performing it tomorrow night."

"That's great! Do you want to go practice it now? I can go get Selphie if you want. You know how she never misses an opportunity to make some noise."

"Yeah, I'd like that." She paused. "Thanks again, Quistis. It's great to know that I have a friend like you."

"You're very welcome. Now, are you going to come and show us that new song of yours?"

"You go on and get Selphie. I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay. See you in a few!" Quistis waved and exited the room.

_You're right, Quistis. I need to get over Seifer, and I intend to do just that..._

******************************************************************************************

"Yes, Ms. Rinoa Heartilly and her band will be playing here tomorrow night." The owner of the Star club told the man on the phone. "I'll have you know that the Star Club will serve as Ms. Heartilly's headquarters for the next few months. Her and her band are actually living upstairs."

"What time will Rinoa be playing?" The man asked.

"She's scheduled to perform her new song at eight-thirty tomorrow night. Will you be attending the show, Sir?" The owner asked.

"Yes. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Might I make a suggestion, Sir? You should definitely get here early. Ms. Heartilly is becoming quite popular these days. In fact, we are expecting a very big crowd. You might want to reserve a seat."

"Thanks for the heads up. You know, I think I will reserve a seat after all."

"Alright. May I have your name, Sir?"

"Almasy, Seifer Almasy."

"Thank you, Mr. Almasy. I guess that I'll be seeing you tomorrow, then."

"Oh, you bet."

******************************************************************************************

"Selphie, can you make the volume of the drums a tad bit higher?" Rinoa asked the next morning during practice. "This is supposed to be a rebellious song."

"Rebellious? Hmm...wonder who she could ever be talking about in the song!" Quistis exclaimed. "Rinoa, didn't you tell me that you were going to get over him?"  
"Yes, I did tell you that, and I _am_ getting over him." Rinoa replied.

"Then why the harsh lyrics?" Selphie asked from her place behind the drums.

"Well, nobody ever said that I couldn't lash out at him. Plus, I know for a fact that he's going to be at the club tonight. Tim told me that he even reserved a seat."

"Tim _knows _that you just broke up with Seifer two weeks ago! Why would he let Seifer reserve a seat?" Quistis asked incredulously.

"It's more business for him." Rinoa shrugged. "Who cares, anyway? I just wanna see the look on his face when he hears this song!"

"Tee-hee, pay back time! I like this, Rin!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Well I don't." Quistis frowned. "Are you sure that this is what you want to do, Rinoa? This song is pretty harsh."

"That's the point." Rinoa told her. "I've never been more sure of anything, Quistis. All you have to do is play the hell outta that guitar. You're not gonna back out, are you?"

"Of course not, Rinoa, but I still don't like it."

"Don't worry about it. Tonight, we're going to rock the house!"

******************************************************************************************

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this." Squall Leonhart grumbled.

"Aw, come on Squall! It's just a club! It's not like it's going to bite or anything." Zell joked.

"Whatever." Squall sighed. The last thing he wanted was to go to some club to see some new singer.

"Lighten up, Squall." Irvine said. "Besides, I hear that this new singer is pretty cute." He winked.

Squall put his hand to his head. "Is that all you ever think about, Irvine?"

"Well, that and guns, of course." He smirked.

Squall just shook his head. "Whatever. If you really insist that we go in, then let's go. I don't want to stand out here all night."

"That's the spirit!" Zell exclaimed.

"How do I get myself talked into these things?" Squall grumbled as Irvine and Zell led the way into the club.

The Star was _packed_. People were standing up against the wall and each table was full, except for one in the back corner.

"Let's grab that table!" Irvine exclaimed.

Once they had settled in, Squall took in his surroundings. He noticed that the club was mostly occupied by men. _I guess that other people think like Irvine..._

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I please have your attention?" A middle-aged man asked from the stage on the opposite side of the room. "Now is what you have all been waiting for. May I introduce to you first, Ms. Selphie Tilmitt, on drums." A short girl with shining green eyes and a short 'bob hair style took her place behind the drums. "And next, playing guitar, Ms. Quistis Trepe." A tall blonde woman with clear blue eyes took the stage, guitar in hand. "And of course, the lead singer, Ms. Rinoa Heartilly, here to perform her new song, 'Just A Girl'! Give it up for Rinoa!" 

The crowd started whistling and clapping wildly and Rinoa took the stage. The crowd was awed by her raven black hair, and her wide, chocolate eyes. She was dressed in black leather pants and a blue tank top. Squall had to admit that she was very attractive.

"This song is called 'Just A Girl'." Rinoa told the audience. "It's about how my ex-boyfriend treated me. And it goes like this:

Take this pink ribbon off my eyes

I'm exposed

And it's no big surprise

Don't you think I know

Exactly where I stand

This world is forcing me

To hold your hand

'Cause I'm just a girl, little ol' me

Don't let me out of your sight

I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite

So don't let me have any rights

Oh...I've had it up to here!

Rinoa glared at Seifer and he turned away.

The moment that I step outside

So many reasons

For me to run and hide

I can't do the little things

I hold so dear

'Cause it's all those little things

That I fear

'Cause I'm just a girl,

I'd rather not be

'Cause they won't let me drive

Late at night

I'm just a girl,

Guess I'm some kind of freak

'Cause they all sit and stare

With their eyes

I'm just a girl,

Take a good look at me

Just your typical prototype

Oh...I've had it up to here!

Oh...am I making myself clear?

Rinoa scanned the audience. Everyone in the club was dancing to the music. Everyone, that is, except for a man in the corner. His head was bent, so she couldn't see his face. Brushing it off, she continued with her song.

I'm just a girl

I'm just a girl in the world...

That's all that you'll let me be!

I'm just a girl, living in captivity

Your rule of thumb

Makes me worry some

I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?

What I've succumbed to

Is making me numb

I'm just a girl, my apologies

What I've become is so burdensome

I'm just a girl, lucky me

Twiddle-dum there's no comparison

Oh...I've had it up to!

Oh...I've had it up to!

Oh...I've had it up to here.

The crowd started applauding wildly and Rinoa smiled. "Thanks you guys!" She said as she bowed. When she looked up, she met the cold gaze of the man that had been sitting in the corner. His eyes bore into her soul. They were the most amazing shade of blue...ice cold. Rinoa found herself brought out of her trance as she was shoved roughly to the floor.

Author's Note: That's it for chapter one! I hope you all liked it and please review to tell me what you think!


	2. Meeting the Stranger

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed the first chapter. I'm really glad that you like this.

Rhapsody 

Chapter 2- Meeting the Stranger

"What the hell was that?" Seifer spat at Rinoa. "You think you're funny, huh? Trying to embarrass me in public?" 

"Well, obviously the thought never crossed your mind when you reserved a seat for tonight, Seifer." Rinoa replied. "Perhaps you thought that I was going to make up with you?"

Seifer seethed with fury. "You're going to pay for that little comment, Rinoa dear." He said as he pulled Rinoa up roughly from her place on the floor.

"Let go of me, Seifer!" Rinoa said as she tried to break free from his grip on her arm.

"Are you scared, Rinoa?" Seifer laughed. "Aw, you don't have to be afraid of little old me..."

"Excuse me, but is there a problem here, Seifer?" Squall asked from behind the man.

Seifer spun around. "Squall? What the hell are _you _doing here?" He asked in surprise.

"That doesn't concern you. Let go of the girl." Squall commanded.

Seifer burst out laughing. "Since when do I take orders from you, Squall?"

"Seifer, what did this girl ever do to you? Just let her go." Squall tried to reason.

"What did she do to me? I'll tell you what she did! She sang that freakin song about me so that I could be humiliated in front of all these people!" Seifer screamed, causing everyone in the club to look up.

"Did she use your name?" Squall asked reasonably.

"Well...uh...so what? It was still about me." Seifer said defensively.

"Seifer, nobody in this club knew that the song was about you until you just announced it to everyone." Squall informed him. "Now let her go, and get the hell out of here."

Seifer reluctantly let Rinoa go. "This isn't over, Puberty Boy. Just remember where that scar of yours came from." He said as he exited the club.

"Are you okay?" Squall asked Rinoa.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Realizing that she was still on stage, Rinoa hurried down the steps, gesturing for Squall to follow her. Once they were out of sight, in the back of the club, Rinoa turned to him. "Thank you...Squall, right?" 

"Yeah, Squall Leonhart." He replied.

"Pleased to meet you Squall. I'm Rinoa Heartilly...well, obviously." She said sheepishly as she shook his hand. "Um, do you mind me asking how you know Seifer?"

"Seifer and I have been rivals for a long time. We grew up together in an orphanage, but we were never friends..." He trailed off.

"What was he talking about when he said to remember where you got your scar from?" She asked.

"We were having a duel." Squall answered simply. "He cheated and gave me the scar, and in return, I gave him one."

"I always wondered where Seifer's scar came from, but he never told me..." Rinoa said thoughtfully.

"I'm guessing that Seifer's your ex-boyfriend." 

"Yeah..." Rinoa said sadly. "He really hurt me..." She trailed off. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sure that you don't want to hear about my problems."

Squall didn't know what to say to that, so he chose to say nothing at all. "................."

"Hey Rinoa! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Selphie exclaimed as she came up to Rinoa, with Quistis following behind her. "Ooh, who's this?" Selphie teased.

"Selphie, Quistis, this is Squall Leonhart." Rinoa told them. "Squall, these are my best friends Selphie and Quistis."

"Hiya Squall!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Nice to meet you." Quistis said.

Squall nodded. He was anxious to get going. This was turning into a very long night.

"Can you speak?" Selphie asked, teasingly.

"Whatever. I'm outta here." Squall said as he began to walk off.

"Squall, wait!" Rinoa exclaimed as she ran to catch up with him.

He turned around. "What?"

Rinoa was startled by the sudden coldness in his voice. "Um...I just wanted to say thanks again. I really mean it." He nodded. "And...um...will you be coming back?"

"It looks to me like you already have enough business." Squall could have swallowed his tongue when he saw the hurt in her eyes at his statement. 

"N-no. I was just asking to see...you know..." Rinoa sighed. "Just forget it. You're obviously not interested. Good bye, Squall Leonhart." Rinoa said as she turned and fled up the stairs.

******************************************************************************************

"See Squall, the night wasn't so bad, was it?" Irvine asked as they were driving home to Balamb Garden, which happened to be stationed just outside of Deling City. "You even scored with that chick, Rinoa."

"Whatever, Irvine." Squall replied from behind the wheel.

"Squall, what are you talking about? She was completely into you!" Zell exclaimed.

"Nothing happened. She was in trouble and I helped her, end of story." Squall said coldly.

"Whatever you say, man, but just listen to this. You said more to her in one night than you say to us in a week. Deny it all you want, but-"

"Enough!" Squall shouted. "Will you just drop it?"

"Whoa, sorry man. Just forget that I said anything." Zell told him.

"We're here anyway." Irvine said as they pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. "I'm hitting the sack. See ya." He waved and headed to his room.

"Me too, man. See ya tomorrow!" Zell said as he energetically ran off.

Squall sighed and started towards his room. He might have "scored" with Rinoa in the beginning, but Irvine and Zell hadn't seen how he had treated Rinoa before he left. _Why do I care? She's just a girl that needed help. I'm never going to see her again... _Squall was surprised at the dull ache he felt when he thought about not seeing her again. _I'm just tired. This will all be over with in the morning._

Looking up, Squall discovered that he had arrived at his dorm. He walked in, dumped his jacket on his chair and laid down to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep just didn't want to come tonight. Squall's head was swimming with thoughts...thoughts about Rinoa. Sighing, he stood up and looked out his window at the night sky. Suddenly, a shooting star shot through the sky, and for the first time in his life, Squall closed his eyes and made a wish.

******************************************************************************************

"Squall Leonhart..." Rinoa said the name out loud to herself, loving the sound of it. _Why am I even thinking about him? Sure, he saved me from Seifer and actually listened to what I had to say...but...he was so mean to me before he left. _Rinoa contemplated Squall's actions. Something in his eyes had told her that he was sorry. _Forget all about him, Rinoa. _She told herself. _He's just another Seifer. _But in her heart, she knew that he wasn't a thing like Seifer, and that she wouldn't be able to forget him so easily.

Sighing she looked to the sky. She always loved to see the stars...they were so beautiful. A sudden glisten in the black depths caught her eye...a shooting star, Squeezing her eyes shut, Rinoa made a wish from within the depths of her heart.

Author's Note: That's all for this chapter. I hope you all liked it and please review!


	3. The Article

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Thank you VERY, VERY much for all of your reviews! I'm so happy that you guys like this! To all of my reviewers: You all don't know how happy your reviews make me! When I first started writing on FF.net, I didn't have very much self-confidence. Thanks to all of you for helping me to gain some.

Rhapsody

Chapter 3- The Article

Rinoa opened her eyes, and rolled over to her side. _6:30 am...Quistis and Selphie will be up soon..._ She just knew that they would be full of questions about the way Squall had reacted last night. She really didn't feel up to talking about him, and explaining his actions. How was she supposed to explain the way Squall reacted, when she couldn't even figure it out? Sighing, Rinoa stood up and got dressed. Buttoning her blue duster, she

crept quietly out of her room, and shut the door gently, so as not to wake Selphie and Quistis. 

Once outside, Rinoa wasn't sure where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away. _I am just a magnet for horrible men,_ _aren't I? _She asked herself. Another part of her was saying that Squall wasn't horrible at all...that he was far from it. Something about those eyes had intrigued her. She could never forget those icy blue orbs. _It doesn't matter!_ _Even if I did feel something for him, there is no way that he returned it. _She thought sadly._ Then why did he save you? _Another voice seemed to say. _He was just looking out for a girl at a club. That's what he called you, remember? You're nothing but a girl to him._

Looking up, she realized that she was outside of the Caraway Mansion...her old home. _What am I doing here? I always avoid taking this street...so how did I end up here? _Brushing it off, she began to walk away, trying to forget about her mother and the memories that house brought up.

"Rinoa? Is that you?" A voice called.

Rinoa turned around, and her gaze turned cold. "What do you want, Caraway?" She snapped.

"You still can't bring yourself to call me 'dad', can you?" Caraway sighed. "I suppose that I should have given up by now..."

"Is there a reason that you called me? I was enjoying a peaceful walk, up until now." She glared at him.

"You seemed to be deep in thought. Is anything the matter?" He asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"Everything is fine, not that it's any business of yours."

Caraway winced. "Well, how about Seifer. How's he doing? Still the cocky rascal, I bet." He chuckled.

"Seifer and I are no longer together. I caught him...cheating on me." She said softly.

Caraway was furious. "Cheating on you?! That son of a bitch!"

"It makes no difference now, does it?" She snapped. Seeing the stricken look on Caraway's face, she softened her tone. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I really should be going now." She said as she turned to go.

"Rinoa, w-wait." He called.

"Yes?" She asked impatiently.

"I...I really..." He trailed off. "Forget about it, it's not important. Have fun at the club, Rinoa." He said as he walked away.

_How does he know about the club? _She looked up to ask him, but it was too late. He was already safely inside the mansion. Sighing, she turned around and made her way back to the Star.

******************************************************************************************

"Squall? Squall, are you in there?" Irvine called as he knocked on Squall's door.

Squall groaned. _What the hell does he want at this time of the morning? _Muttering curses under his breath, Squall got up and opened the door. "What?" He asked coldly.

"Cid wants to see you." Irvine told him.

"What the hell does Cid want at 7:00 in the morning?" Squall asked incredulously.

Irvine shrugged. "Beats me. All he said to me was to come and get you. I don't have any idea what it's about."

Sighing, Squall exited his dorm. "Fine. This better be good, though." He said as he tried desperately to stifle a yawn, but failed.

"Looks like somebody didn't get much sleep last night. Could it be because he was thinking about a certain singer?" Irvine teased.

"Whatever." Squall said, trying to get away from Irvine. Unfazed, Irvine began following him. "Excuse me, Irvine, but did Cid ask for _you_, as well?" 

"Nope. Only you." Irvine said happily. He was definitely relived that Cid hadn't wanted to see him. Squall usually got dumped with all of the problems anyway.

"Then why the hell are you following me into the elevator?" He asked.

Looking around, Irvine realized that he _was _in the elevator. Smiling sheepishly, he said, "Oops. I didn't realize that we were here already. You can tell me all about this Heartilly chick later." He said as he winked and walked off.

_Please. _Squall thought to himself. _Could Irvine be any more perverted? _Sighing to himself, he got out of the elevator and made his way to Cid's office, knocking on the door.

"Come in." Cid called.

Squall entered the room and saluted. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Yes, that's right." Cid said. "Have a seat, Squall."

Squall did as he was told. "Excuse me for asking, Sir, but what is this all about?"

Cid chuckled. "Ah, it looks to me like my message woke you up." He smiled knowingly. "Tough night?"

"Whatever. Sir, please get to the point." Squall said, clearly annoyed.

"Yes, well...the reason why I called you here is because of this." Cid picked up a newspaper from the top of his desk. "Take a look at this article." He told him.

Squall grabbed it from Cid's grip. The page was folded over to one side. On the page was an article titles "_Top Ranking Seed Saves Singer_." The article read as follows:

__

Sometimes ex-boyfriends can be very vicious. A perfect example of this was last 

night at the Star Club in Deling City. New singer, Rinoa Heartilly, was singing

her newest song 'Just A Girl'. The song was apparently about her ex-boyfriend,

Seifer Almasy. Upon finishing the song, Almasy stormed the stage and shoved

Heartilly roughly to the ground. Things were really starting to heat up, when

a man came to her defense. We later found out that this man was none other

than Squall Leonhart, a top SeeD at Balamb Garden, which is currently 

stationed right outside of Deling City. After exchanging words with Almasy,

Almasy fled the club in a rage. Ms. Heartilly seemed very happy with this new

stranger, however, it didn't last too long. A short while later, Leonhart left

the Star, clearly upset. There is no further information about the connection

between Almasy, Leonhart, and Heartilly at this time.

To the right of the article was a picture of Squall and Seifer exchanging words from the previous night. Also included in the picture was a very terrified looking Rinoa. "Where did this come from?" Squall asked.

"The Deling Times." Cid answered. "People are also telling me that this same article was published on the Balamb View, as well." He sighed. "Why didn't you tell me about this, Squall?"

"There wasn't anything to tell. The girl was in trouble, that's it." Squall pushed some of his bangs out of his eyes. "I'm a trained SeeD. I just thought that I would help a girl in need." 

"So the fact that Seifer was involved had nothing to do with it?" Cid asked skeptically.

"Whatever. It's none of your business." Squall said coldly.

Cid chuckled to himself. "You'll never change, will you? You can't keep your feelings inside forever, Squall."

"I don't have time for this." Squall told him. "I need to warn Rinoa."

"Warn Rinoa? What are you talking about?" Cid asked.

"Nothing. May I go now, Sir?" He asked impatiently.

Cid nodded. "You may go, but don't get into any trouble."

Squall saluted and left the office. _Don't get into any trouble? Who the hell does he think I am? _Squall shook his head. _Forget it. I have to warn Rinoa about the article. If Seifer sees it..._

******************************************************************************************

"Oh my God." Rinoa said in shock.

"What is it?" Selphie asked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"Rinoa?" Quistis waved her hand in front of Rinoa, but she still didn't respond. "Rinoa!" She exclaimed.

Rinoa jumped. "Hmm?"

"What's wrong? What does that newspaper say that has gotten you so worked up?" Quistis asked.

"Here." Rinoa handed her the article. "See for yourself."

Quistis read the article and then handed it to Selphie. "This can't be good." Selphie said.

"What am I going to do?" Rinoa asked. "If Seifer has seen this, then he's on his way here right now."

"Don't worry." Quistis assured her. "He can't see you unless we let him, which we wont. I'll go tell Tim not to let him in the club." Quistis said as she left.

Rinoa nodded. "Selphie, didn't you tell me that you had to go to the music store for your drums?"

"Yeah, but I'm not just gonna leave you here alone with Seifer on the loose!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it, Selphie. He probably hasn't even seen the article. Even if he has, Tim and Quistis are downstairs and they won't let Seifer up here." Rinoa smiled. "Please, go to the store."

"Oh, alright. You promise you're gonna be okay, right?"

"I promise."

"Alrighty! I'll see ya later, Rin!" Selphie waved and bounced out of the room.

The first thing Rinoa did was lock the door. She didn't want to take any chances of Seifer getting in. Sighing, she plopped down in a chair and picked up the article again. Her eyes traveled to the picture on the right side of the page. She looked as horrified as she had felt. Squall didn't look horrified at all. You could tell by the picture that Seifer was intimidated by him.

She jumped as there was a knock at the dorr. She froze in terror as the person knocked again. "Seifer..." She whispered.

"Rinoa?" The person called.

_It doesn't sound like Seifer, but who...?_

"Rinoa, are you okay?" _Oh God, maybe Seifer has already gotten to her. _"Rinoa, is Seifer in there with you?"

_Squall... _"Rinoa ran to the door and pulled it open. When she saw Squall standing there, with that look of concern on his face, she threw her arms around him. "Squall! I thought you were Seifer."

Squall slowly pulled away. "Has Seifer threatened you?"

"No, but when I saw that article in the newspaper..."

"That's why I came here. To warn you about the article. When you weren't answering, I thought..." He trailed off and looked away embarrassedly.

Rinoa smiled. "Thank you for coming, Squall." She paused. "Um...would you like to come to the club Friday night?" She asked shyly.

"I...well..." _What do I say?_

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Rinoa told him.

"I'd...I'd love to." He said finally.

Rinoa began jumping up and down. "Great!" She grinned. "I better get writing!"  
"Writing?" Squall asked.

"I'm not even scheduled to perform, but I can persuade Tim to let me. The only thing is...I don't have a song."

"That could be a problem." Squall said.

"I don't think it will." Rinoa smiled. "I've just been inspired."

Author's Note: Stay tuned for a new song from Rinoa and please drop me review ^_^


	4. I'd Rather Be In Love

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 and I don't own the song "I'd Rather Be In Love" by Michelle Branch.

Author's Note: I finally finished writing this chapter! With all the homework that I've had, I didn't think that I would even get this chapter out until next week, but between last night and today, I managed to finish it. I really suggest that you listen to this song while Rinoa sings it, it makes it more realistic. Thanks a bunch to everyone that reviewed.

Rhapsody

Chapter 4- I'd Rather Be In Love

"Look at this one, Rin! It's gorgeous!" Selphie exclaimed. "You absolutely _have_ to try it on!"

"Rinoa, how about this one? It's much more practical." Quistis said.

Rinoa, Quistis, and Selphie were having a wonderful time shopping in Deling City. Selphie and Quistis were both trying to find the perfect outfit for Rinoa to wear the next night. Unfortunately, Rinoa's arms were piled so high with clothes that she couldn't see the two new dresses that they were holding out to her.

"You guys!" Rinoa laughed. "Don't you think that this is enough?"

"Just this last one!" Begged Quistis. "It's too perfect to pass up."

"Oh, alright, but this is the _last_ one!" Rinoa exclaimed.

"Nope, this is the last one." Selphie said as she added her dress to the pile.

Rinoa rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go try these on. At this rate, it could take a while." Rinoa entered the dressing room and Quistis and Selphie waited outside of the door.

"Don't worry, Rinoa." Selphie assured her. "Once you see the look on Squall's face tomorrow night, you'll forget all about the trouble you went through to find an outfit."

Rinoa sighed. "This better be worth it."

Forty-five minutes later, Rinoa had finally found the perfect dress. It was a simple black dress that went just below the knees. What Rinoa loved the most about it was the way the straps crisscrossed in back and how little stones dotted the neckline. Selphie and Quistis had also found outfits for the performance. Selphie had chosen a cute green, short-sleeved dress, that just reached her knees. Quistis had selected a sophisticated red number, also below her knees.

Rinoa had just finished paying, and was now waiting for Selphie and Quistis to finish. After spending the day cooped up in a shop, she was ready to get some fresh air. "I'll wait for you guys outside, okay?" Rinoa told them.

"Alright." Quistis said. "We won't be long."

Rinoa nodded and exited the shop. She smiled; it was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly and the world seemed perfect in her eyes. _Wow...I sure have become a lot happier since I met Squall. I haven't been this happy in a very long time. Especially not while I was with Seifer. _Rinoa sighed, thinking about the bad memories the thought of Seifer brought up. _Seifer can't control me anymore. He is no longer a part of my life. Squall, on the other hand... _Speaking of Squall, she still didn't have a song for tomorrow night. she had started writing, but she wasn't happy with the outcome. Something was missing from it, but she couldn't figure out what.

Rinoa jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Thinking of me?"

Rinoa shot him a disgusted look. "Go away, Seifer."

Seifer put a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt. When are you going to come back to me, Rinoa?"

"How about never?" Rinoa snapped. "Seifer, you know that it's over between us. It has been over for a while now. Why do you insist on making it harder?" She asked.

"_You're_ the one who's making it harder." He grabbed her roughly. "Let's go, Rinoa."

"I'm not going anywhere with you! Please, Seifer, just go away! Go back to that blonde that I caught you with!" She shouted.

"You will come with me _now_." Seifer growled as he picked Rinoa up, shoved her into the back seat of his car, and sped down the street.

Moments later, Selphie and Quistis exited the store, all smiles. Their smiled vanished as they realized that Rinoa was nowhere to be found. All that remained was the bag containing the dress Rinoa had bought just minutes earlier...

******************************************************************************************

_Why did I ever agree to go see Rinoa tomorrow night? _Squall asked himself. _Maybe because those brown eyes bore into your soul and you didn't ever want that to stop. _Squall shook his head. _You're being ridiculous. _He looked towards the sky, the sun shining bright. _Must be all this sun...it's getting to my head._

Squall looked up as a car sped past him. _Who the hell would be speeding down one of these streets? _Something was telling him to follow that car...it looked strangely familiar. The car turned down an alleyway and Squall ran to catch up with it. He slowly crept up to the ally, making sure that he wasn't seen. The car was parked at the other end, and someone was getting out.

Squall couldn't believe his eyes. Out of the car came Seifer. What shocked Squall the most was to see Seifer reach into the back seat and pull out a woman.

"Rinoa!" Squall whispered. Cursing Seifer under his breath, he crept forward. He was very close now...a few more inches and he would be able to reach out and touch Rinoa. He could see the panicked look in her eyes and he wanted to kill Seifer for doing this.

"S-Seifer, what are you going to do?" Rinoa asked, her voice shaking.

"Oh, you'll see." Seifer told her. "You always said that you loved surprises. How's this for ya?" Seifer asked as he forced himself on Rinoa.

Rinoa struggled to break free from his grasp. He was suffocating her! She began kicking and punching him wildly, but nothing was working. Closing her eyes, she waited for what was to come, but nothing happened. The weight of Seifer had been lifted from her. Opening her eyes cautiously, she saw that Seifer was laying on the ground, out cold. Standing next to him was Squall.

Tears ran down Rinoa's face and she collapsed to the ground. "S-Squall." Rinoa choked out before breaking down.

Squall knelt down next to her. He didn't know what to do. He was never any good at these situations. "Rinoa, what can I do?" Squall asked gently.

"J-just hold me." Rinoa said as she hugged him tight.

Squall held her close to him, stroking her hair soothingly. "It's going to be alright, Rinoa. Everything will be fine."

Rinoa nodded. "Thank you, Squall. You saved me again."

Squall shrugged. "It's alright. Would you like me to walk you home?"

"Very much. If you don't mind, that is."

"I don't." Squall turned around. "Let's go."

They walked to the Star in silence. Rinoa was still shaken up from her encounter with Seifer. After all the pain he had caused her, she had never thought that he was capable of doing what he just had. If Squall hadn't been there...

"Rinoa?" Squall's voice broke through her thoughts. "We're here."

Rinoa looked up with tears in her eyes. "Thank you...for everything."

Squall nodded. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, I think so." She told him. "But if you hadn't been there..."

"Don't think about it. Seifer's an asshole, but he's taking this too far. I won't let him near you again." Squall assured her.

_He is so perfect! He's my guardian angel... _"You're my guardian angel." She said out loud.

"What?" Squall asked in shock.

_I can't believe I said that out load! _"N-nothing." She stammered.

Squall was giving her a funny look. "You sure you're alright?" He asked concerned.

"Yes." _And it's all because of you. _"Um...I guess I should go in. Selphie and Quistis have no idea about what happened."

"Yeah..." Squall said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

Rinoa nodded. Squall turned to leave and Rinoa realized that she couldn't just let him go. She ran up to him. "Squall!"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

_It's now or never..._ Gently, she lifted her head and kissed him softly.

Squall was taken by surprise, but caught in the moment, he found himself kissing her back. Suddenly, realizing just what he was doing, he pulled away. "I-I have to go." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving behind a very confused Rinoa.

Sighing, she entered the Star. It was time to finish her song. 

******************************************************************************************

"He's here, Rinoa." Quistis told her the next night. "Two tables back from the stage."

Rinoa smiled. "I was afraid that he wasn't going to come." She had told Quistis and Selphie all about the previous day.

"Ready to go on, ladies?" Selphie asked. "We're gonna blow their minds!"

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I'm just nervous." Rinoa said.

"Don't be." Quistis told her. "You look great, and you're going to sound great. The song that you wrote is perfect."

Rinoa nodded. "Let's do it."

From the other side of the curtain, Tim began to speak. "Now, the pride of the Star club: Rinoa Heartilly and her band!"

The girls walked out to the stage and Squall's jaw dropped at the sight of Rinoa. _She's beautiful..._

"Hello everyone." Rinoa began. "Thank you all for coming out here tonight. This song is called 'I'd Rather Be In Love', and it goes like this." Selphie hit the drums and Quistis played the guitar. Then, Rinoa began singing with all her heart:

"I cannot help it

I couldn't stop it if I tried

The same old heartbeat fills the

emptiness I have inside

And I've heard that you can't fight love,

so I won't complain

'Cause why would I stop the fire that

keeps me going on

'Cause when there's you, I feel whole

And there's no better feeling in the world

But without you I'm alone

And I'd rather be in love with you

Turn out the lights now

To see is to believe

I just want you near me

I just want you here with me

And I'd give up everything only for you

It's the least that I could do

'Cause when there's you, I feel whole

And there's no better feeling in the world

But without you I'm alone

And I'd rather be in love with you

And I feel you holding me

Why are we afraid to be in love?

To be loved

I can't explain it

I know it's tough to be loved

And I feel you holding me

Oh, oh

And when there's you, I feel whole

And there's no better feeling in the world

But without you I'm alone

And I'd rather be in love

Yes, I'd rather be in love

Oh, I'd rather be in love with you

And I feel you holding me, oh."

Rinoa grinned at the standing ovation she received. However, her grin was wiped right off of her face when she saw who was standing in the doorway. "Was that for me?"

Author's Note: That's it for chapter 4. Do you think I rushed that kiss? Please review. 

  



	5. Hurting

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Thanks to for all the reviews everyone! To Embodyment of the Inferno: Thanks for the suggestion! I really think that that song fits the characters, but I'm not sure how I can fit it into this particular fic. I'll definitely try to work it in, though. Thanks again!

Rhapsody

Chapter 5- Hurting

A bruised and battered Seifer walked into the Star, swaying back and forth. "Well, was it?" Seifer pressed. "I must admit, I'm flattered."

At this point, Rinoa was furious. Who the hell was Seifer to come harassing her every time she was happy?! She had had just about enough. "I would _never _sing something like that for you!" Rinoa's glare was terrifying. "Get out of here! Why can't you understand that we're finished?! There is no you and me anymore! get a life!" She shouted.

"Bravo, excellent speech Ran!" He exclaimed.

Rinoa shook her head in disgust. "You're drunk, Seifer."

"Am not! Let's go Ran, come on! We needs to go." He said. "Hey, whats you staring ats?!" He said, staring at the wall. "You wanna fight?!"

Squall got out of his seat and approached Seifer. "That's enough. Go home, Seifer." He said coldly.

"Hey, is Swall! Hows ya doins?" He slurred. "Rans, this yours man?"

"Stop it, Seifer!" Rinoa exclaimed. "How much have you had to drink?"

"A couple ofs beers...nuthins much."

Tim decided that he had better step in. "Alright Pal, that's enough. Let's go." Tim told him.

"Where's we goings? I donts wants to go."

Tim grabbed Seifer by the shirt. "Too bad, Buddy. Come on." He said as he dragged Seifer out of the club.

Once they were gone, Rinoa took the stage again. "Once again, thank you all for coming here. I'm very sorry that you had to witness that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go." She said as she hurried off the stage and up to her room.

Squall watched her go and it saddened him. She looked like she was going to burst out crying. Quistis noticed the look on Squall's face and approached him.

"Go after her." Quistis told him.

Squall stared at her. "What?"

"I said go after her. She's obviously hurting and you seem to help with that." She said.

"Why don't _you _go help her? You're her best friend, aren't you?" Squall asked.

"That's not the point!" She exclaimed. "Listen to me Squall. I don't know you very well, hell, I don't even know you. What I do know is that you make my friend very happy. Do you know how depressed she was after her break-up with Seifer? She hasn't been this happy in a long time." Quistis sighed. "But every time Rinoa is happy, Seifer finds some way to ruin it. She wanted to talk to you tonight, so why don't you go to her? Please?"

Squall sighed. "Fine, but only for a minute."

Quistis smiled. "Thank you, Squall. This will mean so much to Rinoa."

Squall nodded and walked away from her and up the stairs. Once he reached Rinoa's door, he stopped. _What the hell am I going to say to her? _He knocked lightly on the door.

"Go away, Quistis." Rinoa called. "Or Selphie. Whichever one you are. Just please leave me alone."

"Rinoa...it's me...Squall." He said.

Rinoa opened the door slightly. "Squall?" She asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you would have been long gone by now."

"Quistis asked me to check on you." He told her.

Rinoa's heart sank. "Oh..." Was all she said. "Well, I'm fine. You can go home now."

"You don't look fine to me." Squall said.

"You don't have to worry about me, okay Squall?" Rinoa snapped. "Just leave me alone."

Squall closed his eyes in agitation. "Fine, have it your way." He said as he turned to walk away.

"Wait, Squall!" Rinoa exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just been a hard week."

Squall nodded. "I understand. You probably want to be alone..."

"Actually, could you stay for a while? I'd really like to talk to you." She told him.

"I guess, but only for a few minutes. It's getting late." He said.

Rinoa nodded and opened the door fully to let him in. "Have a seat." She said casually.

Squall sat down in a chair and Rinoa sat on the edge of her bed. "What did you want to talk about?" Squall asked.

Rinoa fidgeted with her hands. "Well, it's about the other day, when Seifer kidnapped me." She paused. "I'm sorry if I offended you when I kissed you. I don't know what came over me."

"Whatever. It's no big deal, Rinoa." He said.

"No big deal!" Rinoa exclaimed. "Then why did you walk away from me?" A sudden thought popped into her head. "Oh my God, you have a girlfriend, don't you? Of course you would. I'm sorry, Squall, I had no idea." Rinoa trailed off, embarrassed.

"Rinoa, calm down. I don't have a girlfriend." He told her.

"Y-you don't?" Rinoa asked. "You sure?"

Squall fought back a smile. "I think I would know if I did."

Rinoa smiled. "You should probably go. Like you said before, it's late. I'm sorry that I was such an ass tonight. I guess the whole Seifer thing is really getting to me."

"Seifer's the only ass that I saw tonight. Don't let him get to you. He won't be able to get to you anymore." 

"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked, confused.

"I filed a report against him at Balamb Garden." Squall explained. "What he did to you the other day was illegal. If all goes well, Seifer should be in jail by the end of next week."

"Are you serious?" She asked, disbelievingly. She flung her arms around him. "Thank you so much, Squall! You don't know how happy this makes me!"

"You're welcome." He said. "I really should be going now, though. I'm going to be out of town for a week on a mission. Are you going to be alright?"

Rinoa nodded. "Be safe. I'll be waiting for you to return."

"I will." With that, he turned and walked out the door.

******************************************************************************************

Rinoa sighed in frustration as she put down her book. _This is useless. What's the point in trying to read when all I can think about is him? _It had been two days since Squall had left, and Rinoa missed him terribly. Quistis and Selphie were out shopping and she was starting to wish she had joined them.

"Rinoa?" Tim called from outside her door. "Someone's here to see you."

"Who is it, Tim?" Rinoa asked, puzzled. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone.

"Some guy. Says his name's Irvine Kinneas. Do you want me to send him away?" He asked.

Rinoa opened the door. "I'll go see what he wants."

"Would you like me to stay with you in case he's associated with Seifer?" Tim asked.

Rinoa nodded. "If you don't mind, Tim, that'd make me feel a lot more comfortable."

They walked down the stairs, Rinoa leading and Tim behind her. She scanned the few people in the club until her eyes rested on a solitary figure sitting at the bar. "Is that him?" Rinoa asked Tim.

"Yep, that's the one. Do you know him?" He asked.

"Not exactly, but you don't have to worry. He's Squall's friend. I wonder why he's here..." A feeling of dread built up inside her. "Oh my God, what if it's Squall?" She said worriedly. "Excuse me, Tim." She said as she hurried toward Irvine and sat down next to him.

"Hey, Rinoa." Irvine greeted her. "I don't think we've ever been properly introduced. The name's Irvine Kinneas. I'm a friend of Squall's."

Rinoa nodded impatiently. "Yes, I've seen you with him. Why are you here? Please don't tell me something happened to Squall."

Irvine chuckled. "You really do care about him, don't you? Well, no need to worry 'cause Squall's fine. the reason I came here was to ask you about your friend Selphie." He told her.

"Selphie?" Rinoa asked, surprised. "What about her?"

Irvine grinned sheepishly. "Well, ya see, I'm kinda attracted to her, and I was wondering..."

"You want me to set you up with her?"

Irvine nodded. "Do ya think she'll be interested?"

Rinoa smiled. "Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" She teased. "Come back in two nights and I'll see what I can do."

Irvine stood up and shook her hand. "Thanks Rinoa! I can see why Squall likes ya so much!"

Rinoa blushed. "Squall said that?"

"Not in so many words, but you can tell." He told her. "Well, I better go now. I have some work to do at Garden. See ya!" He said as he waved and left.

"Yeah, see ya..." She said softly.

******************************************************************************************

Rinoa tossed and turned in her bed that night. No matter which way she turned, she couldn't get comfortable. There was no way she would be getting any sleep tonight. Sighing, Rinoa rolled over to her side and looked at the clock: 3:00 am.

_You need to get him off of your mind. This really isn't healthy. _She told herself. A thousand questions were swarming through her head. Was Squall hurt? Was he thinking of her? How did he feel about her? Rinoa got up, realizing that this was useless. She couldn't fall asleep and she couldn't stop thinking about Squall. She walked over to her desk and sat down. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, she did the only thing she could do...write a song.

Author's Note: I'll try to write the next chapter sooner then I wrote this one, but with school and homework, it's kinda hard. In the meantime, please review. 


	6. Home

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 and I don't own the song "Walk Me Home" by Mandy Moore.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, but I've been VERY busy. High School is very demanding, you know! At least I have today and tomorrow off from school. Gotta love those in-school teacher meeting days. The teachers have to go to school, but the students don't! WHOO-HOO!

Rhapsody

Chapter 6- Home

"Rinoa, you're on in fifteen minutes!" Tim called.

"Alright!" She hollered back. "What the hell am I going to wear?" She asked out loud. _I should have went shopping when I had the chance..._

"Rinoa, open up!" Selphie called. "It's just us."

Rinoa opened the door, still in her bathrobe. "Come on in guys." She said miserably.

Quistis smiled knowingly. "We knew you wouldn't be ready yet. Can't find anything to wear, as usual."

"It's not funny, Quistis! We're going on in less than fifteen minutes and I'm not even dressed!" Rinoa exclaimed. "Look at you two...you're perfect. Oh, why didn't I go shopping with you!"

"Tee-hee, Rinoa, you can be such a worrier sometimes! Chill out!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Selphie is quite right, Rinoa." Quistis laughed. "We figured you would be too preoccupied with your, um, thoughts, to remember that you hadn't bought an outfit for tonight. That's why we bought you this." Quistis showed Rinoa the dress she was hiding behind her back.

Rinoa gasped. "Oh, you guys, it's gorgeous!" The dress was a rich green silk that reached to her ankles. The neckline was square and black flowers outlined the top, sleeves and along the bottom.

"We knew you'd like it! Now go put it on before Tim comes and tells us it's time to start!" Selphie exclaimed.

Rinoa grinned. "Thank you so much! I don't know what I would do without you two!" That being said, she went into the bathroom to put on her dress.

Minutes later, Rinoa emerged from the bathroom looking stunning. Her hair was pulled back with a clip and two strands of hair framed her face. The dress Selphie and Quistis had purchased for her fit perfectly.

Rinoa just smiled at the looks on their faces. "Come on you two, we have to get out there!"

The girls walked out on the stage to the roaring plaudit of the crowd. Rinoa wished that Squall could be there to hear the song she wrote, considering that he had been the inspiration for it. On the other hand, she would have been very nervous for Squall to hear it. _Just a few more days, Rinoa. Then you'll see him again._

"Hello everyone. Thank you all for coming out to see us again. The song I am going to sing tonight is inspired by a man that I met recently. Unfortunately, he is unable to be here tonight. I am dedicating this song to him, wherever he may be. This is called 'Walk Me Home.'"

"Walk me home

I don't wanna go all the way alone

Baby would you walk with me home

Baby would you take my hand

Come with me now to a special land

Baby would you walk with me home

3 A.M.

You're on my mind once again

I must have been dreamin'

Thought I felt your heartbeat just then

And I wondered how it would be

If I was your lady

And you were my friend

I would put my heart in your hands

And it would never end

Baby would you walk me home (walk me home)

I don't wanna go all the way alone (all alone)

Baby would you walk with me home

Baby would you take my hand (take my hand)

Come with me now to a special land (ohh)

Baby would you walk with me home

Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh

La, la, la, la, la, la

I hold your picture 

Next to my heart all the time

Oh yeah, baby

You're my dream come true

So glad you're mine

And I wondered how it would be

If I was your lady

And you were my friend

I would put my heart in your hands

And it would never end

Baby would you walk me home (Baby would you walk me home)

I don't wanna go all the way alone (all alone)

Baby would you walk with me home

(Baby would you) take my hand

Come with me now to a special land (ohh)

Baby would you walk with me home

Oh, oh, oh

Every day and night I wanna hold you

Understand that I am gonna love you

In my own special way (In my own special way)

Baby would you walk me home

I don't wanna go all the way alone

Baby would you walk with me home

(If you take my hand) Baby would you take my hand

Come with me now to a special land

Baby would you walk with me home

Baby would you walk with me home (Baby would you walk me home)

I don't wanna go all the way alone (all alone)

baby would you walk with me home

Home, home, home

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Would you walk with me home?"

The last note of the song played and Rinoa bowed. Unknown to her, a familiar face at the back of the club sighed and exited the club.

******************************************************************************************

The next morning, Rinoa tidied up her room, smiling to herself. The TV was on and she would glance at it every now and then is she heard something interesting. 

"Breaking news!" The newscaster on TV said. "General Caraway of Deling City was admitted to the Deling Hospital today. We'll have more for you after the break." A commercial came on and Rinoa froze in front of the TV. _Admitted into the hospital? What could have happened? _She sat there for a few minutes in stunned silence. Finally, the commercials were over and the newscaster came back on.

"I'm Brett Landers reporting live outside of the Deling City Hospital. Early this morning, General Caraway was brought to this hospital by ambulance. He reportedly suffered from a heart attack. One of the servants in his house apparently found him and called an ambulance. General Caraway was originally listed as critical, but it has just been announced that he is stable. We will be following this story all day and notify you when we get more information." The newscaster announced.

"Oh my God..." Rinoa whispered. "I have to go see him." Grabbing her jacket, she scribbled a quick note telling Quistis and Selphie where she had gone, and ran out the door.

******************************************************************************************

"Excuse me?" Rinoa asked the receptionist. "Which room is General Caraway in?"

"I'm sorry, Dear, but only family are permitted to see him." The receptionist told her. "The poor man...as far as I know, he has no family."

"I...I'm his daughter...Rinoa." She said softly.

"His daughter? Ah, yes! You're the daughter that ran away a couple of years ago." The receptionist said. "You're a singer now, aren't you?"

"Yes, but I'd really like to see my father now." Rinoa said.

"Of course, Dear. He's in room 422."

"Thank you." She said as she walked down the hall. She stopped outside of room 422. _It's just your father, Rinoa. There's no need to be nervous. _She told herself.

Walking into the room, she saw that Caraway had an IV in his arm and was also unconscious. She sat down in a chair next to the bed and hesitatingly took his hand.

"Dad..." She started. "You probably can't hear me, but I just want to say how sorry I am. When I left...it wasn't because of you...it was me. I just couldn't be that girl that you wanted me to be. I wish you could understand...I needed to get away, to live my own life. I...I can forgive you for what you did after Mom died. I know now that you were so overly protective because you didn't want me to get hurt." She sobbed. "I'm so happy now, Daddy. I love my singing career, and I even met this wonderful guy." She laughed. "You'd probably run him through an interrogation if you met him. You never liked the idea of me dating." She smiled slightly. "Please wake up, Dad. I really miss you and I...I want you to be a part of my life. I really...I really love you, Dad." Rinoa choked out.

Caraway blinked a few times. "R-Rinoa?" He asked weakly.

Tears dripped down Rinoa's face. "Yes, Daddy, I'm here."

Caraway gripped Rinoa's hand. "I heard you." He told her. "Everything you said..."

"It's okay, Dad." Rinoa said. "Just rest. Everything will be fine."

"Dad...it's been so long since I've heard you call me that." He said. "I love you, Rinoa."

Rinoa smiled. "I love you, too, Dad. You're going to get out of here soon and then we can catch up. How's that sound?"

Caraway smiled weakly. "Wonderful."

"Good." Rinoa smiled. "Good."

******************************************************************************************

"Hey, Irvine. Did you go to the club?" Zell asked.

"Yeah...I did." Irvine said.

"So, what happened? What's the matter?" Zell asked.

"It's nothing. I'm just kinda worried. Rinoa really likes Squall."

"Yeah, so? I thought you said a relationship was exactly what Squall needed." Zell said, confused. "You've seen the way he acts around her. I really don't see the problem."

"Yeah, Zell, you're right. I just thought that Squall might be a little freaked. He's never had a woman." Irvine grinned. "I guess I'll have to give him some pointers."

"Irvine, man, you are one sick dude." Zell said.

"What's the problem? I don't see what's wrong with wanting to help out a friend."

"You wouldn't just be doing this to get closer to Rinoa, would you?" Zell asked. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had a crush on her."

"A crush on Rinoa?" Irvine asked. "No way. That Selphie on the other hand..."

Zell shook his head. "Come on Irvine, let's go before you really loose it." Zell said as he walked away.

Irvine smirked. "Zell, you don't know the half of it..."

Author's Note: Sorry for how bad this chapter sucked. It was really horrible, wasn't it? Again, I apologize, and I'm also sorry for the lack of Squinoa action. I'll hopefully have some of that for you in the next chapter. 


	7. Meeting Again

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me guys! All of your reviews are greatly appreciated. I'm sorry that it took me a while to get this chapter out, but I really needed a quick break from writing to sort this story out. Add to that the TONS of homework my school seems to think it is necessary to give, and I haven't had much time to write. Well, here it is, finally. Sorry if it's kinda on the short side. 

Rhapsody

Chapter 7- Meeting Again

Birds chirped, the sun shined, children laughed and played. It was Saturday, and the park was very crowded. In the midst of it all, sitting on a bench, was Rinoa. She was trying to take in everything that had been going on in the past month. Her break-up with Seifer, her singing career, meeting Squall, and her father's heart attack. Her life seemed to be anything but normal.

Taking in her surroundings, she noticed a young couple hand in hand, the woman pushing a baby carriage. They were smiling and laughing, and Rinoa felt an ache deep inside of her. _They look so happy together. Will I ever find that kind of love?_

Someone sat down beside her, and she looked up. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened in surprise. "Squall!" She exclaimed, as she wrapped him in a tight hug. "You're back!"

Squall nodded. "Just got back this morning."

"How did you find me here?" Rinoa asked, puzzled.

"Well, I went to the club, but you weren't there. Selphie told me that you had gone for a walk, and that you come here a lot." He smiled slightly. "And here I am."

"Did you miss me?" She asked. "Because I really missed you."

"Well, I...uh...yeah...yeah, I really missed you, Rinoa." He said softly. "Sometimes..." He trailed off.

"Sometimes, what, Squall?" She questioned.

"Sometimes you were the only image in my mind. The only reason why I kept on fighting."

Rinoa was touched by his sudden show of emotions. "Do you really mean that, Squall?"

He nodded. "Yeah...I do."

Rinoa smiled then. A huge, warm, smile. "Thank you, Squall. You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that!"  
Squall grinned. "I really missed that smile."

"Oh really?" She teased. "What else did you miss, Squall?"

"This." He said, as he leaned towards her and kissed her softly.

The whole world seemed to stop in that moment, and it felt like no one else existed except for the two of them...and that kiss. They broke the kiss suddenly, as a football crashed into them. They looked up, startled, to see a young boy running up to them. 

"Sorry." The boy said. "I didn't mean to hit ya."

Rinoa smiled and handed the boy his football. "Don't worry about it." She told him.

A woman came running towards them and stopped next to the boy. "Jimmy, did you apologize to these people for hitting them with that football?" The woman questioned.

"Yes, Mom." Jimmy said impatiently. "Can I go back and play football now?"

"Alright, Jimmy, but don't be too long. We're going to be leaving soon." The woman told him, as he ran off. "I'm very sorry about that." The woman said to Squall and Rinoa. "My son can be very inconsiderate sometimes."

Rinoa shook her head. "Don't worry about it at all. Your son was very polite. Besides, it really is no big deal."

The woman smiled. "Well, I know that if my husband and I had been in your position, we wouldn't have been too happy to get interrupted like that."

Rinoa blushed. "Really, it wasn't a problem."

The woman just smiled knowingly. "You look familiar..." She said to Rinoa. "Where have I seen you before?"

"You might have seen me on TV, or maybe at a club? My name is Rinoa Heartilly." She told her.

"A-ha! I _knew_ you looked familiar! You're General Caraway's daughter...the singer." She stated. "My name's Diane. I heard about your father and I'm very sorry." Diane said.

"Thank you." Rinoa said genuinely. "My father is actually doing a lot better now."

Diane nodded. "Well, that's nice to hear." She looked at her watch. "Oh my, I hadn't realized it was getting so late! I must be going, but it was very nice meeting you, Rinoa, and your silent boyfriend." She smiled and walked away.

Rinoa laughed. "Squall, you didn't say a word!"

He shrugged. "There was nothing to say."

"Aww, you're just shy." She said playfully.

"Rinoa, can I ask you something?" 

"Shoot." She said.

"What was the woman talking about? About your father, I mean." Squall said.

"Oh..." Rinoa said softly. "My father is General Caraway, but you probably already knew that. He had a heart attack a few days ago. Our relationship was never really...well, we never really had a relationship. I felt like I had no reason to call him my father." She paused to look at him. "I always blamed him for being overly protective of me after my mother's death. He would barely even speak to me, but he issued orders through my nanny." She sighed. "I've come to realize that it wasn't his fault. He was trying to protect me from the fate that had claimed my mother. We've agreed to start over...I just hope that we can..." 

Squall held her close. "I'm sorry, Rinoa. I'm sure you'll be able to work things out."

"Do you really think so?" She asked.

"With all my heart." He told her.

"Thanks Squall!" Rinoa grinned. "But you know, that woman was right, it is getting late. Wanna walk me home?" Her eyes pleaded with him.

He smiled slightly. "Sure."

******************************************************************************************

Selphie sat at the bar in the Star Club. Quistis had gone out to run some errands, and Rinoa was probably somewhere with Squall. Thus leaving her all alone. A man walking into the club caught her attention. He had brown eyes and long brown hair, which was in a pony-tail. The man was also dressed like a cowboy, from his hat to his boots. Selphie couldn't put her finger on it, but she could have sworn that she has seen him before. The man looked around, apparently searching for someone. Not seeming to find what he was looking for, he approached Selphie.

"Hey there, Selphie. How are ya doin?" He asked.

Selphie was very confused. "Sorry, but do I know you?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. The name's Irvine Kinneas. I'm a friend of Squall's." He told her.

Selphie shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Irvine. I knew you looked familiar."

"Well, I come here with Squall and my other friend, Zell, to watch ya play." He smiled. "You really kick ass on those drums."

She blushed. "You don't really mean that."

"Yes, I do. My eyes were on you the whole time."

"Well, thank you, Irvine!" She said. "So, what brings ya here?"

"Can't a guy come see a pretty lady?" He asked.

"Well, he could, except that I saw you looking for someone when you walked in." She told him.

Irvine raised his hands in defeat. "You got me. I came here to look for Squall, but he obviously isn't here. Unless him and Rinoa are, uh, busy, upstairs." He grinned.

"Irvine!" Selphie exclaimed, laughing. "Squall stopped by earlier. He was looking for Rinoa, and I told him she was at the park. They're probably there right now."

"I see. Well, I guess in the meantime I'll just hang out here. Would that be alright?" He asked.

Selphie grinned. "I think that would be just fine."

******************************************************************************************

The cell was dank and musty. It was hardly the place that anyone would want to be living in. However, this particular cell was Seifer's new residence, and would be for the next eighteen years. He had been found guilty of several crimes, including attempted rape. As you can imagine, he was furious.

_That damn bastard Squall! He thinks he's some big hotshot for reporting me? Then, the bastard steals my girlfriend. _Seifer smashed his fist into the wall in frustration. _They're both gonna pay. Rinoa was always a slut anyway. I'll show them not to mess with me! _He smirked. _Yeah, those assholes will never see what's coming. Let Squall play the hero...Rinoa's the one who's gonna pay for it... _That thought fresh in his mind, he threw his head back and laughed.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading everyone. Don't forget to drop me a review ^-^


	8. Doubt

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Very quick author's note this time and that is THANK YOU to every single person who has reviewed this! Hugs and kisses all around ^-^

Rhapsody

Chapter 8- Doubt

"There she is!" Selphie exclaimed, pointing towards Rinoa, who was walking into the Star. "And there's Squall!" Selphie told Irvine. "I told you he'd be somewhere with her!"

Rinoa waved as her and Squall approached Selphie and Irvine. "Hey guys!" She smiled.

"Hey Squall, man, you finally decided to show up. Were ya keepin Rinoa busy?" Irvine grinned.

Squall gave him a cold glare. "Looks like you've got yourself a woman, as well." He said.

Irvine gaped. "Squall...joking around? Man, if being around women does this to you, then we've gotta get you out more!"

"Excuse me, Irvine, but I think I can take care of that." Rinoa joked.

Irvine shrugged. "Believe me, I never doubted that."

Just then, Zell came running through the door, clearly out of breath. "There you are!" He wheezed.

"Whoa, man, take it easy." Irvine told him. "What's going on?"

Zell took a few seconds to catch his breath, and then spoke. "Squall, Irvine...you're needed at Garden right away."

"Needed at Garden?" Squall asked. "Why?"

Zell shrugged. "Cid just told me that an urgent mission has come up and he needs us three right away. He sent me out to find you as quick as I could." Zell told them.

Squall sighed. "I don't like the sound of that. Looks like we'd better go." He turned to Rinoa. "Are you going to be okay?"

Rinoa nodded. "Just be safe." She said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"See ya later, Selphie!" Irvine waved, and the two of them took off.

******************************************************************************************

"We have a problem, boys." Cid told Squall, Irvine, and Zell once they arrived at Balamb Garden.

"What kind of problem?" Zell asked.

"You all know Doc Odine, correct?" Seeing them nod, he continued. "He is currently stationed in Esthar, and is causing all sorts of problems for the government and the citizens. He has been creating destroying machines and sending them throughout the city. I am sending you three to Esthar to track down Odine and stop him." Cid told them.

Squall nodded. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible. Take whatever you need with you, and go. Odine needs to be stopped before he causes even more chaos and destruction in the city."

"We won't let you down, Sir." Squall said. He grabbed a piece of paper and quickly scribbled a note. "Sir, can I ask you for a favor?"

"What do you have in mind, Squall?"

"Could you give this note to Rinoa Heartilly? She lives in Deling City, at a club called the Star." Squall told him.

Cid smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, my boy. This girl will get your letter."

******************************************************************************************

**__**

Dear Rinoa,

There is not much time for me to write this. Irvine,

Zell, and myself have been called away on a mission. I

can't tell you where or why, and I don't know how long

I'll be gone. I guess I'll see you when I get back.

-Squall

P.S. Seifer shouldn't be a problem anymore, but just

in case...be on your guard.

Sighing, Rinoa put down the letter. A messenger from Balamb Garden had brought it to her earlier. _Squall's job is to protect people, and to do that, he has to go on missions. You shouldn't be surprised that he had to leave so abruptly. Even so..._

"Damn!" She shouted, while kicking the floor.

Seconds later, Quistis peeked her head into the room. "Rinoa, are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Rinoa said through gritted teeth.

"I heard you shouting..." Quistis paused. "It's Squall, isn't it? You're upset because he left."

"Damn it, Quistis, you know me too well." Rinoa sighed. "I want to get to know him better, but every time I feel like we're getting close, he has to leave."

Quistis patted Rinoa on the shoulder. "I know it's hard for you, but it's his job. You'll be together when the timing is right." She told her.

"What if the timing is never right, Quistis?" Rinoa asked. "Sometimes Squall can be so distant. When I think about it, I barely even know him. I _want _to know him...but...does he want to know me?"

"That is a question only Squall can answer." Quistis said. "Why don't you ask him when he gets back?"

"_If _he gets back. Do you know all of the danger he puts himself through? I might never see him alive again."

"Rinoa, stop it! What has gotten into you? You're always so positive, so why are you being so negative now?" Quistis demanded.

"Because I'm scared, Quistis! I'm scared that I'm falling for someone that could be dead in the blink of an eye!" She shouted.

"It's not just that, is it?" Quistis asked softly. "You're afraid of getting hurt again?"

Rinoa shook her head. "It's not about getting hurt. I don't know if I'm getting through to Squall sometimes. It's like he has this barrier around him...and I'm not so sure I can break through."

"It seems to me like you've already started to." Quistis said.

"I don't know... I'm going to go for a walk. That always seems to clear my head." Rinoa told her. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not. I guess I'll see you later, then?"

Rinoa nodded and then hugged her friend. "Thanks for listening, Quistis." She said simply and walked out the door.

******************************************************************************************

Rinoa's steps led her to the Caraway Mansion. Her father had been released from the hospital and she felt like talking with him could really help her right now. It had been so long since she had actually sat down in this house and had a decent conversation with him.

Feeling a bit nervous, she rang the doorbell. One of the maids answered the door. "Ah, Miss Rinoa! You have finally returned to us."

"Nancy!" Rinoa exclaimed. "God, how long has it been?"

"At least three years." Nancy told her. "Well, don't just stand there! This is, after all, your house."

Rinoa walked in, looking all around her. The house looked just the way she remembered. Turning to Nancy, she said, "How have you been? My father hasn't been too demanding has he?"

"Your _father_ has been very kind." Nancy smiled. "Never thought I'd hear the day when you called him that, though."

"After I found out about his heart attack, I decided to be a little more forgiving. Maybe calling him 'General' and 'That Man' was childish of me." Rinoa brightened. "Where is he, anyway? I would love to talk to him."

"He's in his room. Would you like me to bring him down?" Nancy asked.

"That's not necessary. I'll go up and see him." Rinoa assured her.

"Alright then, Miss Rinoa. It was wonderful seeing you again."

"You too, Nancy." She said as she made her way up the central staircase. Once she reached the top, she turned left into her father's room. 

"Rinoa?" The General sat up in his bed. "You've come home."

Rinoa smiled slightly. "How are you doing, Dad?"

Caraway smiled at the word 'Dad.' "Much better now that you're here with me."

Rinoa sat down next to him. "I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"Something or some_one_?" Caraway asked.

"Rinoa blushed. "You're right. It's about this guy...Squall."

Caraway's smile vanished. "Squall Leonhart? One of the highest ranking students at Balamb Garden? Please don't tell me you're in love with him."

Rinoa could feel the anger rising within her. "Squall Leonhart is a good man. Why do you make it sound like he's a criminal?"

"He is _dangerous_, Rinoa! I don't want you mixed up with a man that could get you killed." Caraway told her.

"He _protects _me, father. He has never put me in any danger. The only danger I faced was Seifer, and Squall took care of him for me." Rinoa said.

Caraway grunted. "Took care of him for you? You mean killed him. The man should be arrested."

"Seifer is in _jail_. Squall would never murder someone in cold blood."

"He's a _mercenary_, for God's sake! Open your eyes, Rinoa!" Caraway shouted.

"You know, I thought that talk we had in the hospital was a new beginning for us. I thought we could start over, maybe even get along." She paused. "I guess I thought wrong." That said, she turned and fled from the room and out of the mansion.

Rinoa was so wrapped up in her thoughts and anger that she never heard the figure approach. She never felt him creep up behind her. By the time she realized what was happening, his hand was already over her mouth.

"Now the fun begins..."

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Feedback is greatly appreciated ^_^


	9. Truth Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Wow...100 reviews! You guys rock! This chapter is dedicated to Naurwen for being nice enough to review every chapter of this fic in one day. Thank you so much Naurwen!

Rhapsody

Chapter 9- Truth Revealed

"She still hasn't come back. Something's definitely wrong." Quistis told Selphie later that night. "I just got off the phone with a maid at the Caraway mansion. She said that Rinoa left a long time ago. The maid also said that Rinoa was very upset when she left. What the hell is going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Selphie said. "Right now, we need to find Rinoa. The thing is, I have absolutely no idea where she could be!" 

Quistis sighed. "That's the problem. Too bad Squall is out of town...we could really use his help."

"You don't think that she ran away with him, do you?" Selphie asked. "Maybe they lied about the whole going out of town thing so they could get away."

"Selphie, that's absurd! Rinoa would never just take off without a second thought for us. I'm telling you, something isn't right."

"Well, I could always call Irvine..." Selphie blushed. "He gave me his number in case there was an emergency while he was away. I'd hate to call him away from his mission, though."

Quistis shook her head. "No, don't call Irvine. If you call him, Squall will just drop everything and come running here to look for Rinoa. We don't need to worry him any more. I'm sure that he has plenty to do already."

"Which brings us right back to square one. What are we going to do? We just can't sit around and hope that Rinoa will suddenly show up! We need to take some action!"

Quistis nodded. "You're right, Selphie. It's up to us to locate Rinoa." Quistis thought for a minute. "Why don't we head to the Caraway Mansion? Maybe we can speak to Rinoa's father and see if he knows anything. It's worth a try, right?"

Selphie jumped up and down excitedly. "After that, we can trace her path and see if we find anything! You ready?"

A fierce look came over Quistis' face. "I'm ready. Let's go find our friend."

******************************************************************************************

"Who the hell are you working for, Odine?" Squall asked. After eliminating the monsters in Esthar, they had finally managed to track down Doc Odine.

"I zont know vhat you are talking about." Doc Odine said defensively.

"Oh really?" Zell said as he grabbed Odine by his shirt. "Maybe we'll just have to make you talk."

"Put ve down this instant!" Odine shouted, struggling to break free of Zell's grasp.

Zell tightened his grip on Odine. "You ready to talk now, Pal?"

Odine nodded quickly. "Vine, vine! I vill speak!"

"Well?" Irvine prompted from the other side of Odine. "Who are you working for?"

"Zeifer! Zeifer Almazy!" He exclaimed.

"Seifer?" Squall said. "Damn it, I should have known. Why did he want you to destroy the city?"

"Az a distraction. He vanted to kidnap ze girl, vut knew he couldn't if you were around." Odine explained.

Understanding flooded through Squall. "That bastard! He used you as a distraction so he could get at Rinoa. We have to go back!"

"Vait, vait, it's a trap! He knows you vill go after ze girl." Odine told Squall.

"I don't care what Seifer _thought_." Squall turned around. "Come one guys, we're leaving."

******************************************************************************************

Everything around her was spinning. She blinked a couple of times and took in her surroundings. She was in an old abandoned house. The room was dank and musty, and there wasn't much in it. There was an old cot pushed up against the left wall and on the right side there was an old desk. The room had no windows and the only light came from a small lamp on the desk.

_Why am I here? _Then she remembered what had happened. How long had it been since she had left her father's house and been abducted by Seifer? Did anyone even know that she was missing?

Sighing, she began to stand up, but soon wished that she hadn't. The dizziness just seemed to increase. _Okay...so escape isn't really an option right now since I can't even stand up. So, what now? Wait for rescue? _She almost laughed out loud. _Rescue? Who the hell would rescue me? Squall is God only knows where with Irvine and Zell so it doesn't look like they'll be rescuing me anytime soon. That leaves Quistis and Selphie...don't know how they'll find me here, though. Hell, I don't even know where 'here' is. _Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard footsteps approaching. The door opened and Seifer entered the room. 

"Ah, Rinoa. You're awake." Seifer smiled cruelly. "You and me...alone at last."

Rinoa stared at him coldly. "I've told you once and I'll tell you again, there is no you and me. It's _over_! Wake up and get over yourself!" She told him.

"No, _you_ listen to _me_. _You_ are the one who is being held captive. _You _will listen to what I tell you." He glared at her. "I'm not interested in you anymore, Rinoa. Actually, I never really was. You were just another girl to get into my bed."

"You bastard! I never slept with you!" Rinoa exclaimed, disgusted.

"But we came awfully close, didn't we, Rinoa?" Seifer laughed. "You wanna know what your problem is? You're too trusting. You trusted me, and look where that got you."

"Squall will come for me." Rinoa said defiantly.

Seifer laughed again. "That's exactly what I'm hoping for. Squall comes here, sees that you've betrayed him, and then I'll finish him off. You'll be next..."

"He will beat you. You're not strong enough to beat him, Seifer." But even she could hear the doubt in her voice as she said that.

"Come on now, Rinoa, you don't really believe that, do you? You could have stuck with me and never have known that Squall existed. That way, when I killed him, you really wouldn't care. Maybe I wouldn't have killed you..."

Rinoa's face paled. "You were going to kill him before he met me?" Rinoa was very confused. "Why?"

Seifer grinned. "You think that I only want to kill Squall 'cause he took you? Don't flatter yourself, babe. Squall and I go way back, and it's about time that I got my revenge."

"How did you know that Squall would be there that night at the Club?" She asked.

"See, that's the funny thing. I didn't know. Fate worked that out on its own. I couldn't have asked for a better plan."

Rinoa turned away in disgust. "Go to hell, Seifer."

"Thanks, but I've already been there. It's actually quite nice." He smirked.

"Get out of my sight, Seifer! I can't even stand looking at you!" She screamed.

"Have it your way." He bowed. "Just remember that you and your precious Squall won't be alive much longer." That said, he turned and exited the room.

******************************************************************************************

Selphie and Quistis sat at the Star Club, their heads hung in defeat. They had went to the Caraway Mansion the day before, but Caraway hadn't been too helpful in giving them any information about Rinoa's whereabouts.

"What do we do now?" Selphie asked Quistis miserably. "We can't just give up."

Quistis nodded sadly. "I know, Selphie, but what _can _we do? I don't even know where to start. We could sure use some help."

The words were barely out of her mouth when the door to the Star Club opened and in walked Squall, Irvine and Zell. They spotted Quistis and Selphie and headed over.

"Man, are we glad to see you guys!" Selphie exclaimed. "Rinoa's missing and we really need your help."

"Damn!" Squall cursed. "I knew we'd be too late."

"Too late?" Quistis asked. "What do you mean?"  
"There's a lot to explain." Irvine told her. "Can we all go somewhere more private?"

Quistis nodded. "Follow me. We can go up to our rooms." Everyone followed Quistis upstairs. She got to her room and unlocked the door. The first thing she noticed was an envelope on the floor. Picking it up, she said, "This wasn't here before."

"Let me see it." Squall said as he took it from Quistis. He opened the envelope and pulled out a letter. It read:

**__**

Dear Friends of Rinoa,

I am holding Rinoa captive. Squall and his

crew will be arriving very soon, if they haven't

already. Tell Squall that he is to meet me at the 

Deling Shopping Arcade, in front of the hotel, at

7:00 pm. If anyone comes instead of him, I will

have Rinoa killed. Have a nice day...

Squall's look turned cold. "Odine was telling the truth. Seifer _is _behind this."

"What are we gonna do?" Zell asked.

"_We _aren't going to do anything." Squall told him. "I'm going to do exactly what the note said. Seifer wants to play these games? Well, I can play them, too."

Author's Note: Again, thank you so much for the reviews. You guys truly rock ^_^


	10. Duel To the Death

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Sorry if it seems that I've been taking a while to get each chapter out. I wish I could update faster, but that's really hard for me, mainly because of school. Hopefully updates will be sooner eventually, but for now, it's the usual with updates being on the weekends. Also, Naurwen, when I was writing the last chapter, I didn't even think about that quote being from Hocus Pocus, but you're right, I can remember that it was. Thanks for reviewing!

Rhapsody

Chapter 10- Duel To the Death

Squall walked briskly through the streets of Deling City. With hands shoved in his pockets and his head down, he was completely anonymous in the crowd. No one would ever suspect that the figure in black was on the way to meet his childhood rival. He had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he knew that he had to find Rinoa.

Looking up briefly, Squall found that he was right across the street from the Deling Hotel. He looked around cautiously as he crossed the street, but no one was in sight. Walking up to the hotel, he found that he was completely alone. There was no sign of Seifer, or anyone, for that matter. _Where is he?_

The door to the Hotel opened and out walked Seifer. He faced Squall, and then beckoned him into the shadows. Squall followed him slowly, every step he took was a cautious one. He didn't trust Seifer one bit.

"Where were you?" Squall demanded. "What were you doing in the Hotel?"

"I think that the question is where were _you_? You're fifteen minutes late, Squall. I thought I'd get a drink while I waited for you." Seifer smirked. "You want a drink? Business can wait for now...let's have some fun first."

Squall stared at him coldly. "Stop stalling, Seifer. Where's Rinoa?"

"Rinoa, eh? Right down to business, I see. Well, it's simple really. You just have to trade yourself for Rinoa." Seifer told him.

"What do you mean _trade_?" Squall asked.

"Squall, you were always slow." Seifer grinned. "You come with me to where I'm holding Rinoa. I'll let Rinoa go, but then I'm going to have to kill you."

Squall snorted. "Kill me? What do you plan to do, Seifer?"

"You'll see soon enough." Seifer sneered. "So, what's it gonna be? You coming or not?"

Squall didn't trust Seifer, but he didn't really have a choice right now. Sighing, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming."

******************************************************************************************

"Alright, Seifer, I've had enough of your games! Just let me out of here!" Rinoa screamed as she pounded on the door. "Seifer! I know you can hear me! Open the damn door!" There was still no answer. Rinoa kicked the floor in frustration and then sat down against the door. "Damn bastard..."

Rinoa hugged her knees to her chest. _When am I going to get out of here? I'm gonna go crazy if I don't get out soon! _Standing up, she began pacing the floor. _Okay, think rationally, Rinoa. Someone has had to have noticed that you disappeared. Quistis and Selphie are probably on their way here right now. _That thought fresh in her mind, she curled up on the cot and closed her eyes.

******************************************************************************************

"This is it. Rinoa's in that building." Seifer smiled. "Now, we fight."

Squall shook his head. "Not until I see Rinoa."

"Fine, fine." Seifer grumbled. "Follow me."

Squall followed Seifer as he entered the old house and walked up the staircase. Once they got to the top, Seifer walked down a hallway and stopped outside of a door. "She's in there." He said.

"What's that mean to me?" Squall asked. "You could _say _that she's in any of these rooms. I want to see her."

"If I open this door and she sees you, she'll come running out and you'll escape with her." Seifer told him.

"That's a chance you're going to have to take. If you don't let me see her, then the deal is off, and you don't get to kill me." Squall said simply.

"Alright, alright, I'll let you see her, but only for a minute." Seifer unlocked the door and opened it cautiously. Stepping inside, he let out a sigh of relief. "She's asleep."

Squall walked into the room quietly. Seifer was right...Rinoa was sleeping peacefully on the worn cot. He knelt down next to the cot so that he was eye level with Rinoa. She looked so innocent, just laying there. Squall felt a sense of calmness wash over him.

"Alright, Squall, you've seen her, now let's go." Seifer said impatiently.

Squall reluctantly got up and followed Seifer. Pausing at the door, he took one last look at Rinoa. _This might be the last time I see her... _He thought as he finally turned and left the room.

"This is what's going to happen." Seifer said as he locked the door behind him. "Me versus you. If you win, you get to leave with Rinoa. If I win, you both die." Seifer smirked. "A duel to the death. You in?" Squall nodded. "Then follow me outside."

******************************************************************************************

Rinoa awoke to the sound of crashing metal. Jumping up, she looked around her. The noise continued, but it seemed to be coming from outside. _Damn! If only this room had a window! But...maybe there is! Why would someone build this room without any windows? There has to be a hidden window around here somewhere..._

She began knocking on the walls, feeling for anything that was out of place. "A-ha!" She said as she felt a couple of loose boards. Using all of her strength, she managed to pry the boards from the wall. Just as she had expected, a window was located right where the boards had just been. Wiping the dust off the window, she found that she had a clear view of a field. Two men were engaged in a heated fight. _That would explain the sound of metal. _Looking closer, she realized that the figures weren't just two men...they were Squall and Seifer.

******************************************************************************************

"Come on, Squall, is that all you got?!" Seifer shouted. "Why don't you try to fight like a real man?"

Ignoring Seifer's comments, Squall concentrated on one thing, and one thing only...defeating Seifer.

"This is kinda ironic, isn't it, Squall? You remember that duel when we were kids? How about I give you another scar before I kill ya?"

Squall continued to ignore Seifer as the fighting went on. The battle was intense and Squall and Seifer both had their fair share of cuts and bruises.

"Maybe I'll hold off on killing Rinoa. She could come in handy to me."

"Don't touch her, you bastard." Squall threatened.

"You're not going to be around to stop me. Actually, it's all your fault that Rinoa is in this mess. I was out to kill _you_, Squall, not her. _You _were the one that had to get involved with her. No one is safe when they're around you. Now, you'll be in the grave and Rinoa will be in my bed." He grinned.

Squall charged at Seifer with all the strength he possessed. He was seething with rage from Seifer's remarks. He couldn't loose...he couldn't leave Rinoa to him.

With a cry of pain, Seifer was flat on his back. He was covered in blood, but still, he couldn't help himself. "You'll never be the man that I was to her. Someday...she'll realize that...and...you will be finished. She'll realized that all you bring to her is...danger..."

Squall held his gunblade to Seifer's throat. "I could kill you right now, but I'm not like you, Seifer. I'm not out for blood."

"Squall!" Zell ran towards him. "You okay, man?"

Squall nodded. "Where's Irvine?"

"He's right there." Zell pointed to where Irvine was approaching, followed by several cops.

Squall dropped his gunblade. "I'll let the cops handle you." He turned to go, but one of the cops stopped him.

"We found this on him." The cop handed Squall a key. "Do you know what it could be for?"  
He nodded. "Yeah...I know what it's for. Excuse me." Squall said as he walked away and back into the house. He ran up the stairs and down the hall where Seifer had led hi m earlier. Stopping outside of the room in which Rinoa was being held, he took the key out from his pockets and unlocked the door.

The door swung open, and Rinoa stood there crying. A silent understanding seemed to pass through them. Wordlessly, Squall wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

"I saw everything, Squall. I saw what you did." She sobbed.

"It's alright. Seifer can't bother you anymore." Squall said gently.

"I know." Rinoa said. "I know."

Author's Note: Sorry for the shortness in this chapter. I gotta run out the door now so bye and thanks for reading! 

__


	11. You're a Danger

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews everyone! You guys are absolutely right! This story ain't over yet and I do have a couple of surprises in store for you!

Rhapsody

Chapter 11- You're a Danger

A while later, Squall parked his car in front of the Star Club. Rinoa was seated beside him, but she had dozed off during the ride. "Rinoa?" Squall shook her gently. "Rinoa, wake up. We're here."

Rinoa stirred and finally opened her eyes. "Squall? Where are we?"

Squall smiled. "Look around you."

Rinoa laughed. "Sorry, I'm really out of it." She yawned, then winced.

"What's wrong?" Squall asked gently. "Are you hurt?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I'm fine. I just have a bad headache." She assured him. "I could just lie down and go to sleep..." She yawned again.

Squall grinned. "You think we can go inside now?"

She nodded and got out of the car. "I can't believe I got out of that place. I honestly thought that I would never see any of you ever again."

"Don't think about that. The important thing is that you're safe now. Seifer isn't going to bother you anymore, and you can finally live in peace." Squall told her.

"You're right, but still... I'm in your debt. You saved my life."

Squall shook his head. "You don't owe me anything. I just did what I wanted to do." He walked into the club, and Rinoa followed behind him.

"Rinoa! You're okay!" Selphie exclaimed as she ran up to Rinoa and gave her a hug.

"We were so worried." Quistis said, as she, too, embraced her friend.

"I have Squall to thank for rescuing me." Rinoa turned and smiled at him. "It's so good to be home...even if home is this club."

"Thank you, Squall. You don't know how much it means to us to have our friend back." Quistis said sincerely. 

Squall ran a hand through his hair embarrassedly. "It really wasn't anything."

Noticing Squall's discomfort, Rinoa changed the subject. "So, where are Irvine and Zell? I should thank them, as well."

"They headed back to Garden after Seifer was taken into custody. They're probably filing their reports right now, which is exactly what I should be doing right now." He told her.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Rinoa apologized. "Look at me, wasting your time! You have to get back to Garden, right?"

Squall nodded. "I'm really sorry, but I do have to get back to work."

"Of course." Rinoa said softly. "Do what you have to do."

"Umm...we have to check on our new supplied. Right, Quisty?" Selphie asked.

"Right...the new supplies!" Quistis said, catching on to Selphie's act. "Let's go."

"Uh, okay..." Rinoa said puzzled as they left. Turning to Squall again, she said, "I'm sorry for being such a burden to you. You really should go."

"Rinoa, you are _not _a burden to me. Didn't you listen to anything I just told you?"  
Rinoa smiled. "Of course. I just love to tease you."

Squall shook his head, but a smile tugged at his lips. "Seriously, I do have to go. I'm glad you're safe." He said softly.

"And I'm glad that you found me." She kissed him softly. "Now scram before I change my mind and don't let you out of my sight!"

Smiling briefly, Squall turned around and left.

******************************************************************************************

_"Bring, bring!" _The phone in Squall's dorm rang impatiently. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Squall grumbled as he grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Squall Leonhart?" The man on the other line asked.

"Yeah, this is Squall. Who's this?" Squall asked.

"I am General Caraway...Rinoa's father. I would like to see you at my estate promptly at 6:00 pm." Caraway told him.

"Why do you want to see me?" Squall asked, confused.

"You'll see when you come here. I'll be seeing you at 6:00, Mr. Leonhart." With that said, Caraway hung up.

"What the hell?" Squall asked out loud as he slammed down the phone. "Who the hell does this guy think he is?"

The phone rang again and Squall picked it up angrily. "Caraway, what the hell is your problem?!" He shouted into the receiver.

"Squall? Is that you?" It was Rinoa.

"Rinoa? Sorry, I thought you were someone else." He apologized.

"Like my father?" Rinoa asked. "Why would you think he was calling you?"

"It's kind of a long story. One that I'd like to explain to you in person. Can I see you?"

"Of course. Actually, I was just calling to say that I haven't seen much of you this week and I miss you."

"I'm sorry, but you know I've been busy with work. Can I come see you now?"

"Yes, I'll be at the Club, as usual."

"Alright, I'm on my way."

******************************************************************************************

"What could he possibly want from you?" Squall had explained Caraway's call to Rinoa, and she was puzzled and kind of angry at what Caraway's intentions could be.

Squall shook his head. "I have no idea. I've never met him...hell, I didn't even know he knew I existed!"

Rinoa blushed. "Um, that's kinda my fault. You see...when you were out of town, I went to go visit him. I told him about you, but...it didn't go very well."

"What do you mean by that?" Squall asked. Seeing Rinoa's hesitation, he said, "Don't worry if it's bad. You can tell me."

Rinoa debated whether or not to tell him. Finally, she nodded. "He told me that you were basically a dangerous mercenary who was out for blood. I tried to tell him differently..." She hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Rinoa. What your father said about me has nothing to do with you." He told her.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I should have stood up to him more. I should have told him that he has no idea what you are like and if he doesn't want me to be around you, the tough." She said as a tear escaped and trickled down her cheek.

"Rinoa, look at me." Squall said as he gently lifted her face to his, silently wiping her tears away. "You _did_ stand up to your father and that's all that matters. It doesn't matter to me what _he _thinks of me. It's you that I care about."

She smiled genuinely. "You are amazing, do you know that?"

Squall grinned. "I try to be." He said as his lips finally met hers and they engaged in a heated kiss.

Minutes later, they broke apart. "Wow..." Rinoa said as she touched her lips, a dazed expression on her face. _His kisses just keep getting better and better! _Finally coming back to reality, she said, "Squall, I need you to promise me something, okay?"

"What do you have in mind?" He asked.

"Promise me that you won't go to see my father tonight. Whatever he wants with you can only be to cause you pain. Please promise me that you wont see him." Rinoa begged.

Squall had definitely planned on going to see Caraway that night, but seeing the look in Rinoa's eyes, he just couldn't. "I promise, Rinoa. I won't go to Caraway's house tonight."

"Thank you, Squall." She said as she hugged him. "Thank you."

******************************************************************************************

Squall looked at the clock...5:15. He still had time to get to Caraway's. _You promised Rinoa. You can't go back on your word. _"I know that!" Squall said, frustrated. Something inside of him just wasn't going to rest unless he found out what Caraway wanted with him. "I'm sorry, Rinoa." Squall whispered as he left his dorm.

Leaving, Balamb Garden, he headed into Deling City. Once he arrived there, he walked towards that Caraway mansion. _If Rinoa finds out about this... _He tried not to think about that. He finally spotted the Mansion and headed up to the door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked.

Seconds later, the door was opened by a woman who appeared to be a maid. "Can I help you, Sir?" The woman asked.

"Uh, yeah. My name is Squall Leonhart. General Caraway called me earlier today asking me to come here at 6:00." Squall explained.

The maid nodded. "Yes, that's right. Come on in." The maid led Squall into the study. "Have a seat. I will go inform the General of your arrival."

Despite the maid's invitation, Squall did not have a seat. Instead, he stood near the window and stared out at the busy city that was Deling. Squall turned around as he heard someone approaching him. It was Caraway.

"I see that you made it." Caraway said. Squall just nodded. "I would have thought that my daughter would have persuaded you not to come here."

"Rinoa doesn't know that you called." Squall lied.

"Keeping secrets from her, are we? Tsk, tsk."

"Excuse me for being blunt, but why exactly am I here?" Squall asked.

Caraway nodded. "I suppose I should explain myself. Let me be blunt now, Mr. Leonhart. I don't like you and I don't like how close you are getting to my daughter. You are nothing but a danger to her."

"I would never harm Rinoa. I would give her my life." Squall told him.

"Those are strong words coming from a man like you. Do you realize that it is because of _you _that Rinoa was kidnapped by Seifer? One day, she will be killed and you will be the one to blame." Caraway hissed.

"May I ask you a question?" Not waiting for a response, Squall continued. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"Hate, Mr. Leonhart? _Hate_ doesn't even describe what I feel for you. This is not just some personal dislike of mine. You are a _danger _for my daughter. No one can be safe with you."

His words sounded eerily familiar. Then he remembered Seifer's words to him during the battle. _"No one is safe when they are around you..."_

"Take my advice...leave Rinoa alone before you have her death on your conscience."

"Are you finished?" Squall asked. He had to get out of there.

"I believe that I have gotten my point across." Caraway said. "Remember my words, Mr. Leonhart. Do _not _make the wrong decision..."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading everybody! I'm sure you can tell now that this story definitely isn't over yet!


	12. You're Beautiful

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Here's a little bit of an earlier update for ya! Hope you like it!

Rhapsody

Chapter 12- You're Beautiful

_Squall walked through the forest, searching for Rinoa. He walked on and on, but there still wasn't any sign of her. Something inside of him knew that something was terribly wrong. He had to get to Rinoa. His steps turning into a run, Squall frantically searched the forest. "Rinoa?" He called. "Rinoa, where are you?!" Squall kept on running, searching for any sign of the girl who held his heart. He stopped suddenly, as he caught sight of a still form on the ground..._

"No!" He shouted as he saw who it was. "Rinoa..." He whispered.

"I told you that you would kill her." Caraway said as he came up behind him. "You didn't listen to me when I told you to stay away."

"I...I didn't do this." Squall told him.

"Yes, you did, Squall. You got the ransom note. It was from one of your enemies. An enemy of Balamb Garden. It had nothing to do with Rinoa, but just her being associated with you has gotten her killed."

"No! That's not true!" Squall shouted, trying to block out Caraway's words.

"You can't deny it anymore, Squall. YOU killed Rinoa."

"No! I didn't kill her! I DIDN'T!"

Squall shot up from his bed. _God, it was just a dream... _His heart was pounding loudly and he was sweating profusely. There was no way he could get back to sleep now. Turning his head, he looked at the clock...7:37 am. _Time to get up anyway._

As Squall got dressed, he still couldn't shake off the feelings that the dream had stirred up in him. What if it had been some prophecy of what was to come? He could never live with himself if something like that would happen to Rinoa. _I have to go see her..._

******************************************************************************************

"I can't believe you two! You're going to make me go shopping alone?" Rinoa asked Quistis and Selphie .

"I'm sorry, Rin, but you know I can't go. I've got to work out these bills and all this other crap." Quistis told her.

"What about you, Selphie?" Rinoa demanded. "What's _your _excuse?"

"Tim wanted me to help him out downstairs today. I'm really sorry, but I promised him. Do you want me to tell him that something came up?" Selphie asked.

"No, if you promised, you promised. I guess I _will _go alone then." Rinoa said as she picked up her purse and left the room.

_I guess it's not their fault if they're busy, but I hate going shopping alone. Who's gonna help me pick out an outfit, now? _Sighing, she walked through the Club. She was just about to walk out the door, when it opened. "Squall!" She said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, but it looks like you're going out. Want me to come back later?" He asked.

"Absolutely not! This is too perfect! You can come shopping with me!" She exclaimed happily. 

"Shopping? Definitely not." Squall told her, backing away.

"Aw, come on, Squall! Please?" She put on her most pathetic puppy-dog look. "Quistis and Selphie are busy, so they can't come. You don't want me to go alone, do you?"

"No...but shopping just isn't my thing." He looked at her and felt those words melting away. "Okay, fine! I'll go with you." He said in defeat.

"Yes!" She said as she jumped into his arms. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah..." He mumbled. "Loads of fun..."

******************************************************************************************

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Squall grumbled as they entered the store.

"No complaining!" Rinoa said as she playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Now," She said, looking around, "I need to find something to wear to my next performance and _you _are going to help me."

"Of course, your Highness." Squall joked. "Where would you like to begin?"

Rinoa smiled. "Humor me, okay?" She looked around. "Where to begin... I guess we should just look around. If you see anything worthwhile, show it to me, okay?"

They walked around for a while, but nothing was really catching her eye. She looked through rack after rack, and sighed in defeat. "Isn't there anything I can wear in this store?"

"How about this?" Rinoa turned around to look at the dress that Squall was holding and gasped. The dress was made from a beautiful light blue material and was very long. It was held up by two thin straps made from tiny crystal stones. "It's gorgeous." Rinoa said softly.

"Try it on." Squall urged. "I'll wait right here."

Rinoa took the dress and nodded. She walked into the dressing room and slid the dress on. It fit her perfectly. Smiling uncertainly, she exited the dressing room and approached Squall. Twirling, she said, "What do you think?"

Squall's jaw dropped when he saw her. She looked like an angel. In that instant, he forgot about being a danger to Rinoa, about Caraway's words, about Seifer. All he saw was her...Rinoa. "You're beautiful." He said softly.

Rinoa blushed at Squall's words. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah, I do." He said sincerely.

"Well, thank you." Rinoa smiled softly and headed back into the dressing room.

Moments later, Rinoa came out of the dressing room, dressed in her normal clothes. She paid for the dress and then exited the shop with Squall.

"Thanks for finding that dress for me." Rinoa told Squall as they began to walk. "It really is perfect."

Squall nodded. "As soon as I saw it, I could see you in it. I'm sure you would have found it without me, though."

Rinoa shook her head. "I'm not so sure. I was honestly ready to just give up and leave, when you showed it to me."

"Well, anyway, I'm glad that I was able to help."

"Me too." Rinoa smiled. "Here we are!"

Squall looked up, confused. They had stopped just outside of a restaurant named Angelo's. "What are we doing here?"

Rinoa laughed. "We're having lunch here. Come on." Rinoa said as she walked in.

Squall followed behind her. "You didn't tell me we were going out for lunch."

"Well, I didn't know we were." She smiled. "I guess you could say that this is my way of thanking you for all the help you have given me. Plus, I like being with you in public, and seeing the evil glares that the other girls give me." She grinned.

"What?" Squall asked. "Why would they do that?"

"Hmmm...I don't know. _Maybe _because you are so adorable!" Rinoa laughed.

Squall blushed. "No I'm not."

A waitress came up to them, then, and escorted them to a table by the window. As they took their seats, Squall said, "You know, you really don't have to do this."

"I know." Rinoa said cheerfully. "But I want to."

The waitress returned minutes later to take their order. They both had the same thing: a burger and fries, with a Coke.

"So, have you heard anything about Seifer?" Rinoa asked later.

"No. The last thing I heard was that he's in some kind of psychological recovery group." Squall told her. "Maybe he'll get the help he needs." 

Rinoa nodded. "I don't really care what happens to him anymore. After what he did...all the danger he put me through...I don't think I can ever forgive him.

_You're a danger... _Squall grimaced. _No one is safe around you..._

"Squall?" Rinoa waved her hand in front of his face. "Squall!" Still, no response. "Squall, are you all right?" Rinoa said as she shook him gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He told her.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should go." Rinoa realized that Squall had barely touched his food. "Aren't you going to finish eating?"

"I'm not really hungry." Squall replied. _You don't want her death on your conscience..._

"Squall, I think we should go. Come on." They both stood up and Rinoa paid the bill. Once outside, Rinoa turned to Squall puzzled. "What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Are you feeling sick?"

Squall shook his head. "No, really, Rinoa, I'm okay. It must have been the air or something."

Rinoa was skeptical, but she smiled anyway. "Okay. As long as you're alright."

"I am, honestly." Squall assured her.

They walked back to the Club together. Once outside of the door, Rinoa turned to Squall. "I'll be performing tomorrow night. You're coming, right?"

_This is your chance to tell her, Squall. Tell her you can't be with her...that you're a danger. _But when he looked into her eyes, so full of hope and happiness, he couldn't bring himself to do it. "Yeah." He told her. "Yeah, I'll be there."

Author's Note: Sorry, I know this chapter was really short and really stupid. Bear with me please, hopefully the next chapter will be better!


	13. Only Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 and I don't own the song "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore.

Author's Note: I would like to say a special thank you to my friend SummonerYuna for helping me pick the song for this chapter. Thanks Yuna, this chapter is dedicated to you ^_^ And also, I know I've said this before, but it really applies to this chapter, I definitely suggest listening to this song as Rinoa songs it. It's a very powerful song and I think it really displays Rinoa's emotions well.

Rhapsody

Chapter 13- Only Hope

"There!" Rinoa exclaimed as she set her pen down on her desk. She was immensely relieved to have just finished her newest song. Personally, she thought it was her best song so far, but her opinion didn't matter. It was Squall who she was thinking about.

"Hey, Rin, you in there?" Selphie called from the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm here. Come on in, Selphie, it's open." Rinoa told her.

Selphie opened the door and entered the room with a big grin on her face. "Did ya finish your song?"

"Yup! Actually, I just finished it now. I don't know if it's very good, though." She told her.

"Can I see it? I'm sure that it's wonderful." Selphie assured her.

Rinoa grabbed her notebook where she wrote all of her songs and handed in to Selphie. "Take it easy on me, okay?"

"Tee-hee, Rinoa, you worry too much!" Selphie exclaimed. "Just let me read the damn song!" Rinoa obliged and Selphie read the lyrics that Rinoa had been working on for a while. She finished reading and smiled. "This is fantastic!"

Rinoa looked down nervously. "Thanks, but do you think Squall will like it?"

"He'll love it!" Selphie jumped up and down excitedly. "Now, hurry up and get dressed. We're going out for breakfast!"

"_We_? Who else is going?" Rinoa asked. "And _why _are we going?"

Selphie grinned. "_We _means you, me, and Quistis. No, Squall wont be going, it's only us girls, so don't give me that look." She laughed. "As to why we're going, tonight's your performance! It's our treat."

"First of all," Rinoa said, "You two are going to be up there with me, so it's not really _my _performance. Second of all, I perform all the time. What's so special about tonight?"

"Oh, come on, Rinoa! You know that tonight's different. Squall is gonna be there!"

Rinoa sighed. "Squall has seen me perform before, Selphie."

"Yeah, but not for a while. Besides, that was when you guys first met. You _know _tonight's gonna be special. You bought that beautiful dress he picked out, didn't you?" Selphie reminded her.

Rinoa threw up her hands in defeat. "Alright, take me out to breakfast if it makes you feel better. I'm just saying that it's not necessary."

"I figured you'd say that." Quistis said as she joined them. "And we're not hearing any buts. So get dressed and we'll meet you downstairs."

"Fine." Rinoa said. "I'll see you in a few minutes." Selphie and Quistis turned to leave, and Rinoa couldn't resist the urge to stick her tongue out at them.

******************************************************************************************

"So," Quistis said as she cut into her pancakes, "Tell us what went on between you and Squall yesterday."

Rinoa's cheeks turned a bright pink. "I already told you what happened. What more could you want to know?"

"Oh, come on, Rin, fess up!" Selphie exclaimed. "All you told us what that you and Squall went shopping together and he picked out that dress for you."

"Which, by the way, is gorgeous, Rin." Quistis told her. "Squall definitely has taste."

"That he does." Rinoa admitted. "Of course, he would never admit that." She laughed.

"Seriously, though. You're telling us that _nothing _happened after you went dress shopping?" Selphie demanded.

"We went out for lunch." Rinoa told them. "That's it."

"Ooh, you didn't tell us about that before." Quistis teased. "Why is that?"

"I just forgot about it." Rinoa lied. Images of Squall at the restaurant filled her mind. He was hiding something from her... "Can we just drop it, please?"

Selphie shrugged. "Sure, but I don't see why you're so upset."

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tired. We should probably get going, anyway. We need to rehearse for tonight."

"Rinoa..." Quistis said seriously. "You didn't...sleep with Squall, did you?"

"No! Of course I didn't sleep with him!" She exclaimed.

"Well, I just thought...you know...since you don't want to talk about it..."

"I have my reasons for not wanting to talk about what happened yesterday. Now, please, let's just go."

******************************************************************************************

"I don't know why you guys had to tag along." Squall grumbled as he entered the Star along with Zell and Irvine.

"You wanna be alone with Rinoa, huh?" Irvine winked. "I wouldn't have come if it wasn't for Selphie. You know how it is."

Squall groaned. "You are impossible."

They seated themselves at a table close to the stage. Squall wanted to have a clear view of Rinoa. He knew that he was a danger and Caraway's words were true, but that still didn't change the way he felt about her. Tonight, he was just going to try to enjoy himself and focus on Rinoa.

The lights dimmed and the crowd quieted down. Tim walked onstage to introduce them. "And now, here are Selphie, Quistis, and Rinoa!"

All three girls walked onstage. Selphie took her place with a violin, rather than her drums, and Quistis had no guitar. Instead, she sat in front of a piano. Then, there was Rinoa. She looked stunning, as usual, but even more so tonight because Squall had picked the dress she was wearing.

Instead of saying something before singing like she usually did, Rinoa said nothing at all. Quistis began playing the piano and Rinoa began to sing from the depths of her heart:

"There's a song that's inside of my soul

It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again

I'm awake and in the infinite cold

But you sing to me over and over and over again

So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands

And pray to be only yours

I pray to be only yours

I know now you're my only hope"

Selphie joined in and played the violin.

"Sing to me the song of the stars

Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again

When it feel like my dreams are so far

Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again

So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands

And pray to be only yours

I pray to be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

I give you my destiny

I'm giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs

I'm giving it back

So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands 

And pray to be only yours

I pray to be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

mmmmm, mmmmmmmmm

oooooooooooooohhh"

Rinoa finished singing and was greeted by the strongest applause she had ever received in her life. All of her emotions had gone into that song as if her heart was on public display. Her eyes searched the crowd for Squall and finally spotted him right by the stage. She met his gaze with a look that was so gentle, filled with happiness and...love.

Squall stood up abruptly and ran out of the club. Rinoa, shocked and confused at Squall's actions, immediately ran after him. Once outside, she spotted Squall, standing in the pouring rain.

Rinoa grabbed his hand. "Squall, what's wrong?"

He turned around slowly and met her gaze. His heart was breaking, seeing her like this, but it couldn't be helped. Things had gone too far, and it wasn't safe for her to be around him. He forced his gaze to turn cold. "I'm leaving." He replied.

Rinoa frowned. "Leaving? Are you feeling sick?"

Water dripped from Squall's hair and clung to his face. "No, I just need to go." His voice was ice cold.

"Did something come up at Garden?" Sudden realization hit her hard. "It was my song, wasn't it? You didn't like it."

"Whatever...I don't have time for this. I'm leaving." Squall turned to go.

"Squall, wait!" She cried.

"What?" He snapped.

"You can't leave, Squall. That song...it was for you. Don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" She said exasperated. 

"No, I don't, Rinoa. Why don't you tell me?" He said.

"I love you, Squall." She said softly, the tears escaping from her eyes mixing with the rain.

For a moment, Squall's eyes widened and the coldness in his gaze had vanished. But seconds later, the hard exterior was back. "No you don't. You don't mean that." Squall told her, his voice rising. "It's over between us, Rinoa."

Rinoa's soaking clothes clung to her body. She was drenched...on the inside and out. "You can't possibly mean that."

"Yeah, I do mean it. I'm sorry, Rinoa, but we can't be together." He turned and began walking away.

"Squall, come back!" She shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I love you, Squall! Please don't leave me!"

Squall kept on walking, never looking back.

The impact of Squall's words hit her hard and she collapsed on the cold, wet cement. "Squall!" She cried in agony.

She thought she had experienced pain before, but she hadn't. _This _was pain.

Author's Note: God, I really hope I didn't mess this chapter up too much. Before I even started writing Rhapsody, I saw a scene in my head with Rinoa and Squall in the rain, filled with heartache. Basically, I tried to center the rest of the story around that one scene and I really hope that I did it justice. Please tell me what you think.


	14. Breakdown

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews everyone! For those of you wondering, the song in the last chapter, "Only Hope," is by Mandy Moore. 

Rhapsody

Chapter 14- Breakdown

"I can't believe it!" Quistis sighed in disgust as she finished reading the article in the paper. "This is completely ridiculous."

Selphie picked up the paper and instantly understood why Quistis was so upset. The article read:

__

Popular Singer Has a Breakdown! 

Rising star Rinoa Heartilly hasn't performed

in over two weeks. On the night of her last

performance, Ms. Heartilly sang a beautiful

song, supposedly about her boyfriend, Squall

Leonhart. After singing the song, Leonhart 

fled the Star Club. Ms. Heartilly quickly

went after him, but things did not go well.

Sources say that Leonhart broke up with her

on the spot, claiming that he never wanted

their fling to go that far. Ms. Heartilly was 

found outside, on the ground and in the rain,

by her friends and band mates, Quistis Trepe

and Selphie Tilmitt. Sources say that Ms.

Heartilly is having a breakdown; she won't

eat or talk to anybody and has been locked

in her room for two weeks. Neither Squall

Leonhart or Rinoa Heartilly were available 

for comment.

"Where do they come up with this crap!" Quistis exclaimed. "That's _not _what happened."

"You know I agree with you, Quisty, but we weren't there. Since Rinoa won't tell us anything, we don't have any idea as to what really happened two weeks ago." Selphie told her.

"Even so, I saw what Squall and Rinoa had. I find it hard to believe that Squall would call it a 'fling'." Quistis argued. "But you're right, we won't know anything for sure unless Rinoa or Squall tells us."

"_I_ don't want to face Squall. So the only one we can talk to is Rinoa." Selphie said. "The way she's been acting, there's no way she'll talk to us."

"I think we just need to give her some time. You saw how distraught she was when we found her in the rain. You know what they say...time heals all wounds."

"I know," Selphie told her, "But I'm so worried. The article _was _right about Rinoa's condition right now. She won't talk to anybody...she hasn't been eating...she won't come out of her room..." 

Quistis nodded grimly. "I'm worried, too. She's going to hurt herself is she keeps this up. Maybe I can try to talk to her today."

"Yeah, she always listens to you, Quisty. Talk to her today...before it's too late."

"I'll talk to her, Selphie. The question is...will she listen?"

******************************************************************************************

"Squall, man, open up!" Zell yelled. "I need to talk to you!"

Squall got up from his bed and opened the door slightly. "Go away, Zell. I told you guys to leave me alone."

"Yeah, you _told _us, but do you really think we're gonna listen?" He smiled. "Just let me come in and talk to you. I'll be quick."

Squall sighed and reluctantly opened the door the rest of the way. "This better be quick."

Zell gasped as he saw Squall's appearance. Sure, he had been hiding out in his room for a while now, but Zell had never seen Squall look so terrible. His hair was sticking up in multiple places, his clothes were wrinkled, there were bags under his eyes, and he looked like he had lost weight.

"Well?" Squall asked. "Did you come here to stare?"

Zell's face turned slightly pink. "No, man, I came to talk to you about...Rinoa."

Squall's defenses immediately went up. "What about her?" He asked coldly.

"Come on, Squall. Everyone knows that something happened between you two that night at the Club. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Why, don't you read the paper?" Squall asked sarcastically. "Look in there, it will tell you everything you want to know."

"Damn it, Squall, the paper is bull! I want to know what really happened and if it's worth you wasting your life."

Squall stood up angrily. "Wasting my life? You have no idea what it feels like to be me right now! You have no idea how helpless I feel!" He smashed his fist into the wall.

"No," Zell told him, "I don't know what you're going through right now. If you told me, maybe I'd understand why you let go of a wonderful girl like Rinoa."

"You'll _never _understand!" Squall shouted. "Just get the hell out of here, Zell!"

Zell shook his head. "Have it your way, man."

Squall shut the door and sank into his bed. Then, he did something he hadn't done since he was a child...he cried.

******************************************************************************************

Rinoa sat in her room, staring at the wall numbly. At first, it had hurt. Squall's words were like a knife slashing through her heart. The pain had been unbearable and she had retreated to her room, where she had been for the past two weeks. Of course, the intense pain was still there, but she had buried it deep inside her. Now, she felt nothing...she was completely numb.

A soft rapping on her door meant nothing to her. "Rinoa," Quistis called softly, "Please let me in. I'm worried about you."

_She's worried about me? _Rinoa thought. _Well, let her worry. She doesn't have any idea what I feel like right now._

"Please, Rinoa." Quistis tried again. "It's about Squall."

_Squall... _She thought bitterly. _Why did you leave me Squall? Was I not pretty enough for you? Was I too fat? Did my voice annoy you?_

Quistis took a deep breath and prayed that her last attempt would work. "Rinoa...Squall's been hurt...badly."

_Ha, Squall's been hurt. Squall's been hurt?! _Rinoa sprang up from her chair and opened the door. "What happened?" She asked quickly.

"Can I come in?" Quistis asked gently.

Rinoa nodded impatiently. "What's wrong with Squall?"

Quistis shut the door and faced Rinoa. "He's hurting because he lost you."

Rinoa looked away in disgust. "Get out, Quistis. I don't want to hear about Squall's pain."

Quistis nodded. "You're right. How about your pain?" She sighed. "I know you've been suffering, Rinoa, you can't hide that from me. Something happened between you and Squall two weeks ago, but I don't know what. However, whatever happened, you still love him."

Rinoa snorted. "Thanks for the psycho-analysis, Quistis. You know exactly what's going on in my head, huh?"

"No, Rinoa, I don't!" Quistis said in frustration. "Only you can know that. You're hurting...horribly, and I want to help you."

The pain inside of Rinoa pushed to the surface and she collapsed to the floor. "He left me, Quistis. That's what happened. I told him I loved him and he left me."

"Oh, Rinoa." Quistis hugged her friend. "Do you know why?"

"No." Rinoa sobbed. "He just said it was over between us and then he was gone."

"It's going to be okay." Quistis reassured her. "Things will get better."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Without permission, Caraway entered the room. "I need to talk to my daughter."

Quistis nodded. "I'll see you in a little while, okay Rinoa? If you need anything, just call." She gave her friend another hug and left.

"Why are you here?" Rinoa demanded as she stood up.

"I read about what happened to you." He told her. "I came to see how you were doing."

"How am I doing? Do you really wanna know? How would _you _feel if the man that you loved walked away from you forever?"

"What did Squall tell you? He finally admitted to being a danger, huh?"

Rinoa looked at him strangely. "What? Why would he be dangerous to me?"

"Well, it _was _his fault that you got kidnapped in the first place. I'm just relieved that the boy finally came to his senses and heeded my advice." Caraway said satisfied.

"Your advice?" Then Rinoa understood. "He went to go see you that night you called him, didn't he?"

Caraway nodded. "That is correct. I told him that he was a danger to you and he should leave you before it was too late."

"Why would you do something like that?!" Rinoa asked incredulously.

"I was merely concerned for your safety, Rinoa." He told her. "I thought it was the best thing to do."

"Well you thought _wrong_! Squall is not a danger to me, and even if he was, I wouldn't care because I _love _him. Now I'll never know if he felt the same way..."

"Oh, he loves you alright. He wouldn't have listened to me if he didn't." Caraway told her.

"How would you know?" Rinoa cried. "Please, just leave before I loose it."

Caraway sighed. "Very well. I really did all this for you, Rinoa, and I am telling the truth when I say that Squall loves you. I know you don't believe me, but it is the truth." That said, he turned and left.

Author's Note: *Cringes* This was so bad! Sorry! 

  



	15. Your Face

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 and I don't own the song "Your Face" by Mandy Moore.

Author's Note: Thanks for the great reviews everyone! I changed the lyrics around in the song "Your face" by Mandy Moore very slightly when Rinoa sings so it is more realistic. Merry Christmas ^_^

Rhapsody

Chapter 15- Your Face

"Squall! Cid needs to see us right away!" Zell yelled as he pounded on Squall's door.

Squall opened his door, clearly irritated. "What the hell does he want now?"

Irvine shrugged. "He didn't say. He just told us to come and get ya."

Sighing, Squall locked his door. "Fine, let's go."

All three of them walked to the elevator silently. Zell had learned his lesson about trying to talk to Squall when he was in this kind of mood. Unfortunately, Irvine hadn't caught on.

"So, Squall...what do ya think Cid wants to talk to us about?" He asked.

"I don't know." Squall answered coldly.

"Yeah, but you're Cid's right-hand man." Irvine pressed. "He must have told you _something_."

"Would I be meeting with him now if I knew what it was about?" Squall snapped.

Irvine didn't have time to answer because the elevator stopped just then and they all got out. When they approached Cid's office, the door was wide open and Cid stood by his desk beaming.

"Ah, boys, you made it! Excellent, excellent! Please shut the door behind you."

After shutting the door, all three turned expectedly to Cid. 

"I suppose you are wondering why I called you here." Cid began. "You see, I have to be very secretive about this. Edea _cannot _find out about it."

Squall tried hard not to roll his eyes. "Sir, could you just get to the point? Did you call us here to tell us to keep a secret of yours?"

Cid chuckled. "I suppose I should get to the point. I don't want Edea to find out about this because it's about our anniversary. You see, our anniversary is in three days, and I want to throw her a huge party. The thing is, I don't know of anyone who could organize it on such short notice, and also, a band that would play. That's why I need your help."

"What do you want us to do, Sir?" Zell asked.

"I was hoping that you would be able to help me with my two problems."

"So you're saying that you want us to find you someone to organize the anniversary party for you and your wife?" Irvine asked.

Cid nodded. "Yes, and also find a band that could play at the party."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Irvine told him.

"Good." Cid said approvingly. "What about you, Squall? You're acting quieter than usual."

"It shouldn't be a problem, Sir." Squall replied.

"Very well, you are all dismissed." Cid saluted.

They returned the salute and exited the office. Once outside, Irvine turned to Squall expectantly. "You're going to ask her, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Squall asked annoyed.

"Rinoa, man!" Irvine exclaimed. "She could come perform for Cid and Edea's anniversary. It's perfect because Selphie could be the organizer!"

"Forget it. We're just going to hire some professionals." Squall told them.

"Professionals?!" Zell burst out. "God, Squall, you _know _Rinoa is perfect for this. She's the most popular singer in Deling!"

"Enough!" Squall shouted. "You guys do whatever the hell you want. I don't have time to run errands for Cid." With that, he turned on his heel and left.

******************************************************************************************

"Rinoa, someone's here to see you!" Selphie called.

"Who is it?" Rinoa asked as she stepped out of her room.

"It's Zell. He says that he needs to talk to you right away." Selphie told her.

"Did he say what it was about?"

Selphie smiled. "I have an idea about what he's going to say. Irvy's here, too, and he wants me to organize a party for the headmaster and his wife. I told him I would!"

"That's all great, Selphie, but what does he want with me?"  
"Go down and see." Selphie urged.

"Okay, I will." Rinoa agreed as she walked down the stairs to meet Zell.

"Rinoa, hi!" Zell called as he waved her over. "How are you holding up?"

Rinoa shrugged. "I'm doing my best...starting to face the world again." She lowered her head. "Truthfully, I'm not over him, and I won't ever be. I really thought that we had something special..."

Zell sighed. "I'm really sorry about this, Rinoa. I don't know what has gotten into Squall. He won't talk to anyone...he's even worse than before."

"Worse than before?" Rinoa asked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know? Before Squall met you, he was a very cold person. He wouldn't talk to anyone and it took Irvine and me many years before he would trust us. After he met you, he was like a new person! Open an caring...he had it bad for you."

Rinoa sighed. "That's just it, _had_...past tense. Anything that went on between us is over."

Zell shook his head. "Squall's not over you. He never wanted to break up with you."

"Did he tell you that?" Rinoa asked, her voice filled with hope.

"Not exactly, but trust me with this. Squall's in love with you, Rinoa."

"Is that what you came here to tell me, Zell? If you want to know why Squall broke up with me, all I know is that he thinks it's dangerous for me to be around him."

Zell grinned. "You see! Squall broke up with you because he loves you and doesn't want you to get hurt."

"He could have told me that!" Rinoa said exasperatedly. "Enough. I don't want to talk about this anymore. What did you really come here to tell me?"

"The Headmaster at Balamb Garden is throwing a surprise party for his wife for their anniversary. Selphie has agreed to organize it. The thing is...we need someone to sing..." He trailed off.

"Are you asking me to perform at the party?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you're the best singer in Deling City and it would be perfect!"

Rinoa sighed. "What does Squall think about that?"

"He was supposed to pick the band, but he left it up to us. He said we could do whatever we wanted." Zell gave her a desperate look. "Please?"

"I don't know...I'm not sure if I can face all of those people."

"Rinoa, I _know _you can! Please, you won't let us down!"

"Alright, fine. I'm not promising anything, but I'll try." Rinoa told him.

"Yes! Thank you so much Rinoa!" Zell grinned. "Me and Irvine should probably go now. Thanks again!"

"Okay. Oh, and Zell? Thank you." Rinoa said sincerely.

"For what?" Zell asked confused.

"For telling me about Squall." Rinoa smiled. "I honestly feel a lot better."

"You're welcome." Zell smiled. "See you in three days. Take care, Rinoa."

Zell and Irvine left the club and Selphie ran up to Rinoa.

"Did you say yes?" She asked excitedly.

"So you knew all along, huh? Well, if it makes you happy, I did say yes. We're going to perform at the anniversary party in three days." Rinoa told her.

"Woo-hoo, I'm so happy you agreed! This party is going to be a blast!" Selphie exclaimed.

"I hope so."

"I heard what Zell said about Squall. Sorry, but I couldn't help it! You need to ask yourself what you really want, Rinoa."

"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked.

"Don't wait until it's too late. Seize the moment and capture it." Selphie smiled. "I guess what I'm saying is that Squall will be at the party. Maybe you could work things out?"

"I don't know, Selphie. I'm going to go up to my room now, okay?"

Selphie nodded. "Just remember this: true love only comes once in a lifetime and you've got it. Don't give that up."

******************************************************************************************

Three days later...

"You really did a fantastic job with the decorations, Selphie." Irvine commented happily.

"Tee-hee, thanks Irvy! Do you think the Headmaster and his wife will like them?" She asked nervously.

"Why don't you ask them? They're right over there." Irvine pointed to where Headmaster Cid and Edea stood in the ballroom.

"Maybe later. He looks like he's ready to make a speech." Selphie watched as Cid made his way to the stage. "That's my cue. I've gotta go round up Rin and Quisty so that we can perform. I'll see you later, Irvy!" Selphie waved and immediately found Quistis and Rinoa in a corner of the room.

"Hey Selphie." Quistis greeted. "Ready to perform?"

Selphie bounced up and down excitedly. "You bet!" Turning to Rinoa, she said, "Are you okay? You look kinda queasy."

"I'll be fine." Rinoa said firmly. "Once I get on stage, I'll be alright."

"Good! Look, the Headmaster's starting his speech. We'll be on after that!" Selphie said happily.

Headmaster Cid stood at the podium. Everyone in Garden was at the party...everyone except for Squall. No one had seen him all day and Irvine and Zell had wisely chosen to leave him alone.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight. My wife, Edea, and I have been married for thirty years now." Cid looked at Edea and beamed. "Thanks for putting up with an old man like me!" He chuckled. "Anyway, I'd just like to give a special thank you to Selphie Tilmitt, who helped organize all this, and Rinoa Heartilly, who will be singing tonight." The crows applauded loudly. "Oh, and I'd also like to say thank you to Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, and Irvine Kinneas for helping me out through the years. Now, let the party begin!" Cid smiled and left the stage.

Selphie walked onstage next and took her place behind the drums. She wearing a yellow dress made of silk that reached to her knees. Next, Quistis took the stage with her guitar. She looked great in a light peach colored dress that reached just above her ankles. Finally, Rinoa took the stage, microphone in hand. She had on a white, full length gown. The straps wrapped around her neck, on which she wore a silver necklace. She looked breathtaking. 

_Here we go..._

******************************************************************************************

Squall slowly walked through the halls of Balamb Garden, dressed in his formal attire. He had thought about not even going to the party, but Cid would eventually notice if he was missing...so would Irvine and Zell. Of course, the real reason he was going was because of Rinoa. _Better late than never, right? _As he neared the ballroom, he heard Rinoa's voice, singing like an angel. _I need to stop thinking about her. This is for her safety. But still... _Squall took a deep breath and got ready to enter the ballroom.

******************************************************************************************

Inside of the ballroom, Rinoa finished her song and the crowd applauded. She had sung song after song, but still there was no sign of Squall. She was going to have to sing this final song with or without his presence. 

For this song, Selphie remained on drums, but Quistis switched to the piano. Zell was going to play the flute for this song. Rinoa swallowed nervously. She was disappointed that Squall hadn't even shown up. The song was for him, after all. She didn't care about the breakup anymore...she wanted him back with her.

_Here goes nothing... _Quistis began playing the piano, followed by Zell on the flute, and Rinoa began singing:

"Oh yeah

Your face 

I'm still not over

Your face

Headlight's break through the rain

Over Deling's winter light

I came all the way here tonight

To look in your eyes

I came all the way here tonight

Just to see you"

Rinoa noticed someone moving in the back of the ballroom...Squall. Her heart leaped in her chest and she let the emotion carry in her song.

"Your face

Holds me over

Your face

It wipes away the rain

With a hundred summer skies

And every time I talk to you

It's like I'm alright

And every time I talk to you

I get a little closer to light

You are the face

That heaven showed me

When I needed someone

Someone to love

And stay

You showed me

The quiet kind of love behind your face

Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah

Your face

Let me shoulder

Your face

All the stars and suns above

Are jealous in it's light

You steal the sky away from there

Bringing it aside

You steal the sky away from them

And bring it to life

'Cause you are the face

That heaven showed me

When I needed someone

Someone to love

And stay

You showed me

The quiet kind of love behind you face

The quiet kind of love behind your face

Rinoa's gaze met Squall's and all of time seemed to stop. Squall turned away quickly, tears glistening in his eyes. How much longer would he be able to hold out? He spun around as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"So...you decided to show..."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading everyone! Please tell me what you think!


	16. Learning to Breathe

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 or the song "Learning to Breathe" by Switchfoot.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. As it said in my FF.net profile, I have been sick, so I wasn't able to concentrate on writing this chapter. Here it is now, though, I hope you all like it. 

Rhapsody

Chapter 16- Learning to Breathe

Squall turned around, forcing his expression to turn impassive. "I could say the same for you. Since when do you take an interest in your daughter's performances?"

Caraway winced slightly. "I deserve that." He admitted. "You're right...I haven't been taking an interest in Rinoa for a long time."

"You seem to be taking an interest in me, though." Squall told him. "Why is that? If you don't care about your daughter, then why do you care about me?"

Caraway sighed. "I _do _care about Rinoa, regardless of what you think. I admit, I haven't been the best father and I have neglected my duties towards her."

"So, that's it?" Squall asked incredulously. "Rinoa's a _duty _to you?"

"Dammit, Leonhart, don't put words in my mouth!" Caraway hissed. "Yes, I do have duties towards her because I am her _father_. However, I _do _care for her. I don't need to prove anything to you. All I ask is that you hear me out."

Squall nodded impatiently. "Fine. What do you have to tell me?"

Caraway took a deep breath and prepared to explain himself. "I don't know if you noticed it, but when Rinoa was with you, she was _happy_. I really can't think of a way to explain it, but she had this _glow _about her...like she was on top of the world. Now...well, I've never seen her this way, either. It's like a part of her is missing."

"I don't know why you're telling me this." Squall told him truthfully. "Not so long ago, you were telling me how I was a danger and that I should just stay away from Rinoa."

"I honestly thought that you _were_ a danger to Rinoa. A part of me still thinks you are." Caraway paused for a moment, taking another deep breath. "You have to take some risks in life. I learned that lesson too late. After my wife died, I became bitter towards the world. All I had left was my daughter. I was careful around her...too careful, I realize now. I kept my distance, but I also became overbearing. I didn't want to see my daughter taken by the same fate as her mother.

"You're probably wondering what all this has to do with you. I tried to scare you off, but I knew the only way to ensure my daughter's safety was for you to be out of her life. That's why I told you all that crap about being dangerous, but who am I to judge? The important thing is that my daughter is in love with you. I think you feel the same way."

Squall just stared at him. Was this really Caraway speaking? He had just seen a side of Caraway that he never could have imagined existed. Caraway's words had really affected Squall, and he wasn't sure what to do or say.

"I hope I have made my point clear to you. Any life with you in it is far more better for Rinoa than a life without you." That said, Caraway turned and left the ballroom.

Sighing, Squall walked out onto the balcony. Was he really a danger? Did Rinoa really need him in her life? Squall looked up at the dark ,starry sky, remembering the wish he had made the night he met Rinoa. If only things were different...

******************************************************************************************

Rinoa stood in a corner of the ballroom, waiting for her friends. Selphie was off with Irvine somewhere and Quistis had made some new friends and was off talking to them. Rinoa just really wanted to go home. She had seen her father talking to Squall, but had decided that she wouldn't interfere. The next time she had looked up, Squall was gone, as was her father.

Spying a balcony a few feet away, she made her way towards it. She could definitely use some fresh air. Walking out onto the balcony, she was completely oblivious of Squall standing to her right. She, too, gazed at the stars, feeling a strong sense of irony. A slight movement caught her eye, and turning, she saw him. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even seen her.

Deciding that now would be a good time to sort things out, she broke the silence. "Squall?" She called softly.

Squall tensed slightly at the sound of her voice, but forced himself to face her. "Rinoa." He said as politely as possible. "I didn't hear you come out here."

Rinoa shrugged. "I didn't see you out here, either. I can go if I'm disturbing you."

Squall shook his head. "No, it's alright."

Rinoa nodded, but said nothing. They stood there in uncomfortable silence until she said, "I saw you with my father."

Squall looked surprised. "Oh..." Was all he said.

"I know that you went to see him the night that you promised me you wouldn't." Rinoa sighed. "I also know what he said to you. Honestly, I don't know how you could have believed a word he told you. All that bull about you being a danger to me? How could you have thought that?"

"It's the truth, isn't it?" He said quietly.

"No, Squall, it's not!" Rinoa exclaimed. "You aren't, and never were, a danger to me." She looked right into his crystal blue eyes and said, "I gave you my heart, Squall Leonhart, and you chose to break it. I wish things could have been different, I really do." She shrugged. "I honestly thought you were the one. Looks like I was wrong." With one last look at him, she turned around and left.

Squall stood there, a hurt expression on his face. _What the hell have I done?_

******************************************************************************************

Needless to say, Squall did not get any sleep that night. He couldn't stop thinking about what Caraway had told him and what Rinoa had said. She thought he was the one? Squall didn't know whether to laugh or cry. And what about the song she had sung? Was it for him? Could she still possibly love him after all he'd done?

Sighing, Squall got up and pulled something out from underneath his bed...his guitar. He hadn't played it in awhile, but as soon as his fingers touched the strings, the room was filled with a haunting melody. In a moment of sudden inspiration, he picked up a pen and started writing down the words to a song...

******************************************************************************************

Rinoa opened her eyes and squinted as she was met with rays of sunlight. Like Squall, she too, had had trouble sleeping the previous night. Now, it felt like just as she had fallen asleep, it was time to get up again. Looking at her clock, it read 12:03 pm.

"Shit!" She exclaimed as she jumped out of bed. _How did I oversleep this late? _She frantically threw on a pair of jeans, a light blue sweater, and her usual pair of black boots. As she reached for her brush on her dresser, a piece of paper caught her eye. Her name was written on the top and she opened it curiously. It read:

**__**

Rinoa,

I've been doing a lot of thinking...mostly

about you. I know now what I have to do. This

probably isn't making sense. Please meet me at

the park so I can explain. You know the one.

-Squall

Puzzled, Rinoa put down the paper. Was this note really from Squall? It seemed to be and she realized that she really didn't have anything to loose. She left her room, locking the door behind her. After going downstairs and telling Tim she was going out, she was finally on her way.

It wasn't a very long walk to the park that Squall was talking about. Of course she knew the one. It was where she had shared her first real kiss with Squall. She smiled sadly, thinking about how happy she had been. If only it had lasted. Thinking about it now, she had really shared something special with Squall. God, she had tried to get over him, but nothing worked. This wasn't like her breakup with Seifer. Then, she had been angry, and sure, she was hurt, but all she wanted was for Seifer to leave her alone. With Squall, she wanted the complete opposite. She wasn't so sure that a life without Squall was one that she was ready to live.

Shaking off the feelings of sadness and longing, Rinoa crossed the street and entered the park. Why did Squall want her to meet him there? _He's probably leaving...and never coming back. He wants to say goodbye...for good. _Looking around, she suddenly saw him there. He was sitting on a bench with something next to him. Upon walking closer, she discovered that the object next to him was a guitar. Puzzled, she sat down next to him. 

"You came." He said quietly, his tone telling her he had thought she wouldn't.

Rinoa nodded. "Squall, why did you ask me to come here?"

Squall was silent for a few seconds, but then he replied. "Rinoa, I don't even know how to explain what's been going on in my head lately. All I know is that I didn't sleep at all last night because I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Squall..." Rinoa said softly.

He shook his head. "No, don't say anything. I need to tell you this. I...I told you that I couldn't explain my feelings, so I spent the night thinking about how I could make you understand. I think that I came up with something." He picked up the guitar by his side. "I wrote this for you." He began strumming the strings, playing the same melody that had haunted him last night. Then, he began singing, in a strong, confident voice, the song he had put his heart into:

"Hello, good morning, how you do?

What makes your rising sun so new?

I could use a fresh beginning too

All of my regrets are nothing new

So this is a way that I say I need you

This is a way, this is a way that I'm

Learning to breathe

I'm learning to crawl

I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall

I'm living again, awake and alive

I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

Hello, good morning, how you been?

Yesterday left my head kicked in

I never, never thought that

I could fall like that

Never knew that I could hurt this bad

I'm learning to breathe

I'm learning to crawl

I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall

I'm living again, awake and alive

I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

In these abundant skies, yeah

Abundant skies, yeah

So this is the way that I say I need you

This is the way that I say I love you

This is the way that I say I'm yours

This is the way, this is the way that I'm

Learning to breathe

I'm learning to crawl

I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall

I'm living again, awake and alive

I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

Yes, I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

These abundant skies, yeah

I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

Hello, good morning, how you do?

Squall finished the song and lowered his head shyly. He was afraid to see Rinoa's reaction.

Rinoa sat there, stunned. "You wrote that...for me?"

"Yeah." Squall said. "I'm sorry if you don't like it." He stood up to go.

"No, Squall, wait!" Rinoa grabbed his wrist, pulling him back beside her. "I loved it." She grinned, but then had to ask him a question. "Why did you write that for me, Squall?"

A look of surprise came over Squall's face. "I thought that was obvious. I love you."

Rinoa smiled again. She loved the way he said those three simple words. "Yes, but why the sudden change of heart? I thought that you wanted nothing to do with me."

Squall shook his head. "I didn't want you to get hurt because of me. I thought it would be better if I stayed away from you."

"Then what changed your mind?"

"Well, partly you. What you said to me and just thinking about you. Part of it was because of your father."

"My father?" Now it was Rinoa's turn to be surprised.

"He told me a lot of things about him and his past...and about you. He told me that you have to take risks in life before it's too late."

"My _father _said this?" She asked incredulously.

Squall nodded. "Being with you is a risk, Rinoa, but it's one that I'm willing to take. The question is, are you willing to take the risk?"

A smile spread across Rinoa's face. "Yes, I am willing to take whatever risks are involved, as long as it means being with you." Squall grinned at her words. "And Squall?"

"Yeah?"

"You can kiss me now." Squall was never more happier to oblige. She wrapped his arms around his neck as they engaged in a passionate kiss. And this time, they weren't interrupted by a football.

Author's Note: Aw, don't you just love happy endings? Hee hee, sorry if that was too sappy, but by now you must have realized what a hopeless romantic I am. This was not the last chapter, though! There will be one or two more chapters depending on how it works out. Thanks for reading everyone!

**__**


	17. Always Know Where You Are

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 or the song "Always Know Where You Are" by John Rzeznik.

Author's Note: Well, here it is, the last chapter. I had such a great time writing this fic and I just want to thank every single person that reviewed this fic: icedragon6171, SummonerYuna, Squall's angel, Iaya, Aqua Marina, Tracy Winston, digi*girl, Me, myself, and I =), Renegade Seraph, C.G, Z Blade, Chibi Tsuki, Baby Rose, Thunder Of Two Moons, Exhile87, WolfGirl, Diamondflame, XZero6, Mystik Amethyst, Person37, Embodyment of the Inferno, Lady Aliena, Phoenix Blade, The Angel of the Lion, Kayah, James, SilverSwan, MusicFreakCQL21, zktlsc, Chang, spot, Evangelion361, Tiger Eyes, litoblueanjel, krnman, Orian, The Key Bearer, me, Rinoa Leonhart73, Naurwen, Angelwhispher, Lunar-Girl, Tora Zume, Yadda, CTHKSI, Twin Blades, REM, Hiasha, cyrstal-clear-crimson-chik, sam, egwg, Cats eye, Blade, townberry, jkgl, herher, rebekka, Bianka, Tiy Undus, rnrje, Dean Garrison, luna twinkle, Lost Soul, asdf, Shinji-Ikari-2040, Sammy-Chan, Galdrix, Riona, Selphie Tilmitt, Emma, twiglet, Elbart, Meisekiyume, IP, and Mariko (btw, on every chapter I write a disclaimer at the top, where I put the name of the song and the artist...sorry if you didn't see it before). Thank you all so much!

Rhapsody

Chapter 17- Always Know Where You Are

Four Months Later...

"Oh, Rinoa, you look wonderful!" Quistis beamed at her friend. 

"Thanks, Quisty. I'm just so nervous!" Rinoa exclaimed.

"Hey, you don't have to be nervous, Rin!" Selphie assured her. "This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life!"

"It is! I'm so happy that I can't contain myself!" Rinoa grinned as she twirled around. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not extremely nervous."

Quistis embraced her friend. "Don't worry. Everything will be over before you know it, and then it will just be him and you."

"Yeah, and then the real party begins!" Selphie teased.

"Selphie!" Rinoa laughed as she sent a pillow flying in her direction.

"We'll leave you alone now, Rin. We better make sure that everything is taken care of." Quistis told her.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you in a little while then."

Quistis and Selphie exited the room, and Rinoa turned to the full length mirror, studying her reflection. She was wearing a long, gorgeous, wedding dress. The top was off the shoulders and had long sleeves, while the rest of the dress was elegant and sophisticated. As soon as she had spotted it in a store window, Rinoa knew it was the dress for her. 

Rinoa smiled to herself, finding it hard to believe that today was her _wedding day_. Squall had proposed to her two months ago, and they had wanted to get married soon. The day he had proposed to her was one that she would never, in a million years, be able to forget. She had been performing at the Star, and the night after she finished her last song, he came up on stage, got down on one knee, and popped the question right there. Needless to say, she didn't have to think twice about saying yes. Her and Squall had definitely come a long way. Their feelings for each other were stronger than ever and they had come to realize that nothing could keep them apart.

As for Seifer, they had received word a few months ago that he was still in jail and in a psychological recovery group. Sadly, he wasn't making much progress and people were starting to say that he was insane. Seifer had even tried to commit suicide, but was found just in time. It was unfortunate, but Rinoa didn't let it bother her. He was the one who had brought it all on himself.

"Rinoa?" There was a knock on the door and then Quistis let herself in. "It's time."

******************************************************************************************

"Hey man, how you feeling? Today's the big day." Irvine grinned.

"You're single days are over." Zell reminded him. "Are you sure you're ready for the commitment, Squall?"

"Now Zell, don't try to talk him out of it. Rinoa's a great girl. If you don't want her, I'll take her."

Squall just shook his head. "I'd worry about Selphie if I were you."

"Selphie's great, but you can never have too many women!" Irvine exclaimed.

"That's exactly why you're never going to get married." Squall told him.

"So, are you nervous?" Zell asked. "I mean, you're going to be _married_."

"I'm not nervous at all. What's there to be nervous about?" Squall asked.

"You're not nervous _at all_?" Zell asked incredulously. "Not even the tiniest bit? I find that hard to believe."

"Alright, you really want to know the truth? I'm nervous as hell." Squall admitted.

"It's okay. It's natural to be nervous before your wedding. As long as you know you're doing the right thing, you'll be fine." Irvine assured him.

"I know I'm doing the right thing. Nothing has ever felt more right. I'm so in love with Rinoa...I'm just really afraid that I'll screw up, you know?"

"You screwed up before and that didn't stop you. The truth is, you two have a bond that no one can break. I've seen it, Irvine's see it, hell, we've all seen it. I envy you, man." Zell told him.

"Don't. You'll find someone someday, Zell. When you least expect it, love will be right there, looking you in the face." Squall said sincerely.

"Alright, Squall, you ready?" Irvine asked.

Squall nodded. "Yeah."

"Then let's do this!"

******************************************************************************************

"One, two, three, four, five..." Rinoa counted as she tried to calm herself down.

"That's right, just breathe, dear." Edea said from behind her. "I just wanted to tell you that you look lovely and I wanted to wish you good luck before you get out there."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kramer. If Squall and I can be half as happy as you and Cid are, then I will truly be blessed."

"Squall adores you, you know." Edea told her.

"I know." Rinoa said as she started to get choked up.

"Now dear, don't cry. You'll ruin your makeup." She smiled. "I'm going to go in there now, okay? You'll be fine." Giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Edea entered the quad, where the ceremony was being held. 

The music started up and all eyes turned to the door as Edea walked down the aisle, escorted by Cid. Next, came Quistis, who was being escorted by Zell. Finally, Selphie walked down the aisle, on the arm of Irvine. There was a halt in the music and then the traditional bridal march began to play. Every eye was on Rinoa as she walked through the door on the arm of her father. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but it was definitely getting better. Squall stared at Rinoa from his place at the altar. He was mesmerized by her beauty, and the idea that she was going to be his _wife _still amazed him.

Having reached the altar, Caraway kissed his daughter, and just before walking away, whispered in her ear. "Your mother would be so proud."

Rinoa smiled, her eyes filled with tears, as she took her place next to Squall at the altar, holding his hands for support. He smiled reassuringly at her even though he was shaking inside. She found herself smiling back, caught up in the warmth of his smile. Any doubts that she had completely vanished.

"You ready?" Squall whispered.

"Yes." Rinoa said confidently.

The priest began, but Rinoa and Squall were barely listening. They were too caught up in the wonder of the moment and of _each other_. Neither tore their eyes away from the other as they said their "I do's."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The priest announced.

Squall was so wrapped up in staring at Rinoa that he didn't hear a word that the priest had said.

"Squall?" Rinoa nudged him gently. "You're supposed to kiss me now."

And he did. He kissed her, alright. The most amazing kiss she had ever had.

******************************************************************************************

"Excuse me everybody!" Selphie shouted from up on the stage. "May I have your attention, please?" The crowded ballroom quieted down and everyone looked towards the stage. "Thank you. I'd like to present Squall Leonhart, who will be singing a special song to his bride. Let's hear it for Squall!" The crowd applauded wildly as Squall took the stage nervously.

"First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for coming here and helping us celebrate. Like Selphie said, I'm going to sing a song for my wife, Rinoa. I wrote this for you and...well, I hope you like it. I love you."

The music started up and Squall started singing:

"It's good to see the sun

And feel this place

This place I never thought would feel like home

And I ran forever

Far away and I

I always thought I'd end up here alone

Somehow

The world has changed and

I've come home

To give you back the things they took from you

And I feel you now

I'm not alone I'll

Always know where you are

When I see myself I'll always

Know where you are

Where you are

And I found something

That was always there

Sometimes it's got to hurt before you feel

But now I'm strong and

I won't kneel

Except to thank who's watching over me

Somehow

I feel so strong and I've begun

To be the one I never thought I'd be

And I feel you now

I'm not alone I'll

Always know where you are

When I see myself I'll

Always know where you are

Where you are

Now, it's all so clear and

I believe 

That everything's been opened up to me

And I feel you now

I'm not alone

I always know

I always know where you are

When I see myself I'll

Always know where you are

When I feel the sun I'll

Always know where you are

When I see myself I'll

Always know where you are

Where you are"

Rinoa grinned as Squall finished singing. Who would have thought that Rinoa's singing would rub off on him? She couldn't wait to see what other surprises were in store for them, and they had the rest of their lives to find out. This was their beginning. This was their rhapsody.

Author's Note: Woo-hoo, it's finished! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and this fic, in general. Again, thanks to everyone who stuck with me and encouraged me with their reviews. I love you all!


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